With no setbacks, Dustin Burrows return to the NHL this season and the Ducks will be without him in the lineup for the first time in almost two years.
But with only one game remaining against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, the Ducks are hoping Brown can return as soon as possible to help ease some of the pressure that has been placed on the 24-year-old defenseman.
“I’m trying to be in a better position to be a little bit more confident and to help my team,” Brown said after a morning skate Thursday.
“Obviously it’s frustrating not to be on the ice right now, but it’s a little more than just me, I’m talking to the guys, talking to my teammates.
I’m trying my best to be out there.
It’s hard, but I’ve got to give it my all.
It feels good to get out there and compete, to be the guy that I want to be.”
Brown said he didn’t know how much longer he was expected to play this season until the final day of the regular season, which would be Oct. 31.
But with no significant injuries to the Ducks, Brown said he was confident in his chances of returning for the playoffs.
“Hopefully, we’ll be good enough for the end of the year, if not, then I’m hoping for the beginning of next season,” Brown told reporters Thursday.
Brown’s return would be the third major injury for the Ducks in less than two years, having had to miss time in the spring and summer with a concussion.
Burrows had a groin injury in the season opener and has been out since that.
Brown has been one of the NHL’s best players in the postseason this season, but he is entering the final year of his contract at $3.8 million per season and is entering his second full NHL season.
The Ducks have signed veteran defenseman Jannik Hansen to a two-year contract extension, but Hansen’s arrival means the Ducks have two defensemen on the roster for the foreseeable future.
With the signing of Hansen, the roster now includes seven defensemen who have played at least 20 games in the past two seasons, including Brown, who was signed to a one-year deal in July.
The signing of Brown was not unexpected, with the defenseman having a solid season last season, posting the sixth-best plus/minus rating among Ducks blueliners at plus-14.
Brown was a late scratch during the postseason, but the Ducks were able to come back to win the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final.
With Hansen in the fold, the offense could be even more potent.
Brown posted a career-high plus-18 rating in the Stanley Series and is tied for fourth in the NHL with 13 power-play goals.
