Goal number 100 found its way into the back of the net Monday night as Connor Brown hit a huge career milestone.

It probably took longer than Brown wanted, now in his 10th NHL season, but it couldn’t come at a better time for the Edmonton Oilers. His one-timer that beat Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was his sixth goal and 13th point of the season, topping his 2023-24 goal total with the Oilers by two and his point total by one.

When Brown arrived in Edmonton ahead of last season, there was hope that he would be able to provide some solid depth scoring for the Oilers, but that didn’t come. Recovering from a torn ACL, the injury limited Brown, and it wasn’t until late in the season that he began to find his offensive stride.

His first goal with the team would result in a standing ovation from the crowd at Rogers Place, and a run of four goals and seven points in the final 17 games of the season. Brown parlayed that into some more offence in the playoffs, with two goals and six points, but this year has felt different.

He appears more confident in his offensive game, and while his shot rates remain similar to last season, the chances are starting to go in.

“I feel good,” said Brown after Monday’s game. “It’s obviously nice when they go it. I’ve got some good looks, some good passes, so I feel like I’m building as well, just trying to get better and better.”

And while his offensive game has begun to improve his defensive game is just as strong as it was last year. Key defensive metrics for his five-on-five game — expected goal share, scoring chance share, and high-danger scoring chance share, as well as those per hour rates against — have all improved since last season, too.

Brown clearly wanted to remain in Edmonton, too, signing a one-year, $1-million deal.

“This is where I want to be,” he said after last season, ahead of inking a new deal. “I think my heart’s here. Everything that we kind of went through together, and on top of that, just the fans and the kind of patience they showed me and the way they treated me when I scored and it’s a really special place to play.”

Now, his .19 goals per game this season and .42 points per game scored so far this season sit in line with previous career averages, despite him playing fewer minutes than in aforementioned years. If Brown can keep up this pace, it will be a boon for an Oilers team still looking for consistent depth scoring.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist, making up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.

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