Sharks fans can thank tonight’s opponent for doing the unthinkable by claiming Mike Brown.
From all the San Jose Sharks fans here in the Bay Area, we extend a heartfelt thank you to the Montreal Canadiens. On Monday morning, Montreal pulled the trigger by claiming Sharks forward Mike Brown off waivers, thus ending his tenure in teal.
The 30-year-old Brown has always been more of an enforcer than actual hockey player, and he had fallen out of favor with head coach Peter DeBoer after taking some questionable penalties late in contests. Brown appeared in only two games during the month of February, only finding his way into the lineup when Tommy Wingels went down.
The interesting aspect of this move by Montreal is that it doesn’t differ all that much from some of the reasoning Doug Wilson gave in acquiring Brown in the first place.
Habs picked up Mike Brown because they wanted a little more protection/toughness for their younger players in the lineup rest of year
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) February 29, 2016
While Brown certainly provides a physical presence (leads San Jose with 63 penalty minutes this season), he’s a liability on the ice as he can’t generate any sort of offense whatsoever with just three goals and five assists in his three years in teal.
He was a popular teammate in the locker room, but if the Sharks want to roll four lines on a nightly basis, there was no way he could be thrown into the lineup at all.
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At this point, it’s unclear as to whether Brown will suit up against his former teammates tonight when Montreal comes to town, but for many Sharks fans, no longer having to worry about Brown on the fourth line is a win in and of itself.