Capitals right winger Connor Brown out long term with a torn ACL

Washington Capitals right winger Connor Brown of Toronto, Ontario is out long term with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in an announcement the club made on Tuesday. He suffered the right knee injury on October 17 when he received a hit from Noah Juulsen of the Vancouver Canucks in a 6-4 Capitals win. Brown underwent reconstructive knee surgery and is expected to be out six to eight months. If it is closer to the six month time frame, Brown could be able to come back for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Capitals won their only Stanley Cup in 2018, as they beat the Vegas Golden Knights in five games.

2022-23 Statistics

Brown played four games in 2022-23. He was a -3 with two shots on goal, two faceoff wins, one blocked shot, six hits, one takeaway, and two giveaways. Due to the severity of Brown’s injury, it is extremely unlikely he will collect a regular season point in his first season with the Capitals.

Traded from the Senators to the Capitals

In the offseason, the Ottawa Senators were extremely busy changing their roster. They acquired winger Alex DeBrincat in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks, goaltender Cam Talbot in a trade with the Minnesota Wild, and signed forward Claude Giroux to a three-year deal worth $19.5 million. To accommodate DeBrincat, Talbot and Giroux, Brown was traded from Ottawa to Washington for a second round draft pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.

2021-22 Statistics

Last season with the Senators, Brown had 10 goals and 29 assists for 39 points in 64 games. He was a -15 with 10 penalty minutes, nine power-play points, four shorthanded points, 121 shots on goal, 48 faceoff wins, 37 blocked shots, 14 hits, 51 takeaways and 50 giveaways.

Capitals in 2022-23

Heading into the season, Brown was expected to play alongside the Capitals’ Russian stars of Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Now we are seeing Anthony Mantha on the number line in Washington. The Capitals currently have 12 points and are tied for fourth place in the Metropolitan Division with the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders.