Connor Brown undergoes ACL surgery, out 6-8 months originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

WASHINGTON — Capitals winger Connor Brown underwent successful surgery to repair a torn ACL, the team announced Tuesday. He’s expected to miss 6-8 months.

Brown, 28, appeared in just four games for Washington before suffering an apparent lower-body injury in a game against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 17. He took an awkward spill in front of the Vancouver bench following a hit by Canucks defenseman Noah Juulsen. Brown had to be helped off the ice and couldn’t put any weight on his right leg.

“I talked to him last week days before we left for the road trip,” head Peter Laviolette said in his pregame press conference Tuesday. “Obviously, disappointed, I think as anybody would be. [We] expected him to come here and have a big year. We were excited to have him. So I think that was a little bit of disappointment, but now the work begins with rehab.”

The Capitals placed Brown on Inured Reserve two days later and a team spokesperson shared that they were still determining whether he would undergo surgery. Washington acquired the forward for a 2024 second-round pick over the offseason in hopes that he could help the team weather the absence of Tom Wilson, who is recovering from his own ACL surgery.

Instead, Brown joined Wilson and the growing list of Capitals players to hit the shelf in the early goings of the 2022-23 season.

Though Washington didn’t officially rule him out for the year, the Capitals would likely have to advance deep into the playoffs for Brown to have a chance to suit up for the team again before he becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason.