Brown signs 1-year, $4 million contract with Oilers

Connor Brown signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.

Brown had no points in four games with the Washington Capitals last season before sustaining a season-ending ACL tear in his right knee against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 17. The 29-year-old forward was traded to Washington by the Ottawa Senators last offseason.

"Obviously, he's coming off a tough injury," Oilers general manager Ken Holland said. "I talked to him today. He says he's been skating. … He's very optimistic that he'll be ready to for training camp, ready to go for the season.

"He's a good hockey player. He can kill penalties. He's had two 20-goal seasons, so I know he's excited and I think he's going to be a great fit for our team."

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Holland said he spoke to Oilers center Connor McDavid "two or three times since the end of the season" about Brown, who told TSN that the Edmonton captain, who won the Hart Trophy voted as the NHL most valuable player Monday, was instrumental in him joining the Oilers.

"Obviously when you have the best player in the world who wants me on his team and thinks I can help them get over the hump, it means a lot after what was a tough season," Brown told the network. "So, I'm excited to come to camp and be prepared."

Brown has 216 points (90 goals, 126 assists) in 448 regular-season games for the Capitals, Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs, and five points (one goal, four assists) in 20 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

He said the opportunity to play with McDavid and forward Leon Draisaitl, the top two scorers in the NHL last season, was a major selling point. McDavid had 153 points (64 goals, 89 assists) in 82 games, and Draisaitl had 128 points (52 goals, 76 assists) in 80 games for the Oilers (50-23-9), who lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in six games in the Western Conference Second Round last season.

"It's huge," Brown said. "I want to win, and I know Connor and I've known him for a long time, and I know he wants to win bad, and it's kind of the environment I want to be in coming off an injury and trying to get things back on track."

Holland said the expectation for Brown is that "he's going to take a little while to get going."

"We're going to have to be patient with him," Holland said. "I don't think in Game 1 he's going to be the same guy that he was last year. … I think he's going to make a real impact on our team. I would expect him a little bit to get up and running at full speed."

NHL.com staff writer Derek Van Diest contributed to this report