Ottawa Senators sign forward Connor Brown to 3-year contract

After a scoring a career-high 43 points last season, forward Connor Brown has signed a three-year contract with the Ottawa Senators for an average annual value of $3.6 million per season.

“We’re very happy to have Connor back under contract,” Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said in a statement. “He brings a veteran presence to our lineup and is a player who can play in different situations. He’s durable, has a strong work ethic with great practice habits and is regarded as a leader by his teammates. His ability to play up and down the lineup while producing offensively is especially valuable to us as we continue our transition towards being a consistent winner.”

Brown, 26, was acquired in a July 2019 deal with Toronto that had defenseman Cody Ceci going the other way.

Brown’s ice time increased dramatically with the Sens to over 20 minutes per game. His production rose from eight goals and 21 assists in 82 games in 2018-19 to 16 goals and 27 assists in 71 games last season.

Brown’s minutes will likely decrease next season after Ottawa signed free-agent forward Evgenii Dadonov.