Capitals’ Connor Brown to Likely Miss Rest of 2022-23 Season With Torn ACL
The Washington Capitals will be without a key contributor for the foreseeable future.
Forward Connor Brown, who has been sidelined due to a knee injury since Oct. 17th, recently underwent surgery to reconstruct his torn ACL. As a result, the 28-year-old is expected to miss six-eight months, the team announced via social media.
Based on Brown’s recovery timeline, chances are he won’t return to action this season, ending his inaugural campaign after just four games. He registered six hits, two shots on goal, one block and one takeaway during that span.
Considering that Washington is already without Tom Wilson, Nicklas Bäckström and Carl Hagelin, this news couldn’t have come at a worse time. The team also announced earlier this week that T.J. Oshie is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury, adding to the injured group of forwards.
With Brown’s season likely finished, his $3.6 million cap hit can be added to long-term injured reserve, joining Bäckström and Hagelin in that regard. Once completed, the team would feature $15.55 million in LTIR relief – $7.9 million of which is currently in use.
That amount could come in handy closer to the March 3rd trade deadline when non-contending teams will be more willing to sell key pieces for future assets.
Nevertheless, this development is extremely disappointing for Brown, who received top-line minutes next to captain Alex Ovechkin early on. There was hope that the former two-time 20-goal scorer would thrive in that role, sadly, his opportunity didn’t last long enough.
The sixth-round selection from 2012 began his NHL career with his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs in 2015-16, scoring one goal and six points in seven games. He spent four seasons in blue and white, posting 43 goals and 99 points, before being traded to the Ottawa Senators in 2019.
Brown logged 191 career contests with the Senators from 2019-22, recording 47 goals and 117 points. A broken jaw prevented him from making more than 64 appearances during his third – and final – season.
Washington acquired the Toronto, Ont., native from Ottawa via trade in July, sending a 2024 second-round pick in return. He is, however, slated to become an unrestricted free agent after this season.
Reaching the open market after missing almost an entire season isn’t ideal, and it could prove tricky for Brown next off-season. At 28, soon-to-be 29 in January, his only option could be accepting a one-year, prove-it deal. But that’s likely not atop his list of priorities right now.
At the moment, Brown’s main focus will be rehabbing from his ACL surgery and returning to hockey activities as quickly as possible. It will be a long road to recovery, though.
The Capitals, meanwhile, must attempt to overcome these early-season injuries in a very tightly-contested Metropolitan Division. At 5-4-2, they are currently positioned two points behind the division-leading New Jersey Devils, who sit 7-3-0.
But with 71 games remaining, plenty of jockeying for position likely still lies ahead.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85