There may not have been a more up-and-down player for the Edmonton Oilers last year than Connor Brown. He signed a one-year deal with the team that kept his cap hit at $775,000, but one with a $3.225-million signing bonus that carried over to this upcoming season’s cap.

Coming off an ACL tear, the expectations for what Brown could bring to the Oilers were likely overblown. While he had been a very productive offensive player with the Ottawa Senators, scoring career-highs in goals, assists and points during his time in the nation’s capital, that didn’t come with him to Edmonton.

In fact, through the first 54 games of the season, Brown only scored five assists while playing in a bottom-six role. But in Game 55, something changed as he scored his first goal of the season. It was a tremendous moment, with fans at Rogers Place giving him a minutes-long standing ovation.

His teammates said it was “the first of many,” and they weren’t wrong, as he’d add three more goals in the regular season and another two in the playoffs.

While the offence didn’t come for most of the season, Brown remained an effective player for the Oilers. With him on the ice, the Oilers choked out opposing offences, allowing just 1.8 goals against per hour at 5v5, and 24.8 scoring chances against per hour. Those were among the best numbers on the team last year.

He made his mark on the penalty kill, where he contributed at a four percent rate above league average, according to Hockey Viz. His offence was five percent below league average, and his defence was only one percent below league average, but he still contributed at the right of a high-end fourth-liner.

Brown and Mattias Janmark combined for some big moments in the post-season, with him setting The Janitor up for three goals — one at even-strength and two on the penalty kill. Brown added a short-handed goal of his own.

His ability to come around as a player landed him a new deal with the Oilers, signing a one-year, $1-million deal for this upcoming season. It’s a good deal for the work he did as a depth piece for the team, but it could be an even better deal if he can regain some of the offence he showed years ago.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.