A summer of reflection appears to have produced a new version of Dustin Brown, judging from his impactful opening month of the NHL season.
Or has the old Dustin Brown returned?
Either way, an offseason that saw him stripped of the Los Angeles Kings' captaincy has certainly changed him.
"There's a lot of things that go into it. I went through a lot of things this summer," Brown said Tuesday. "I think the main thing is that I'm just having fun playing again. We get to play a game for a living, and I understand that. But it doesn't matter what you do in life -- if you're not having doing fun doing it, sometimes it's very difficult."
The change was made in the summer, general manager Dean Lombardi said, to pass the mantle to other players who have developed into the role.
"It's essentially their turn," Lombardi told local media on a conference call June 16, a sentiment he reiterated to ESPN on Wednesday. "This is something that was on the board, that a transition needs to take place, and they've been groomed for this as players and leaders."
As a result, the summer provided Brown -- a two-time Stanley Cup champion -- plenty of time to think about the game, his team and his role on it.
For one, he no longer appears to be carrying a piano on his back.
"I put pressure on myself, just naturally, and collectively as a team and what our expectations are," Brown said. "I don't think those expectations have changed, but my approach probably has. Just how I look at things has been a little bit different and has allowed me to enjoy the game again."
Brown has put up eight points (two goals and six assists) in 13 games this season, while also providing the other elements that have made him successful. He's on pace for 50 points after putting up just 28 last season.
"[He] can impact the game even when he is not scoring," a rival Western Conference head coach said via text of Brown, who averaged 54 points per season from 2006-07 through 2011-12. "Looks like he is back on track this year. Extra effort is back and that's his game."
Is Brown unburdened by no longer wearing the "C"? No player would admit that; there's so much pride in being captain of an NHL team. But Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton reacted well, in terms of their production, after the San Jose Sharks removed their captaincies over the years.
That's the example I set forth to Brown, and he understood the point about shedding the mental burden of leadership.
"I think there's something to it, just on a day-to-day basis," Brown said. "In a way I took everything personally, whether it was individually or collectively as a team. Whether it's conscious or not, there's probably something to it, [and] you kind of let it go. My attitude is still the same. But it's one of those things where I just try to support Kopy and just worry about my game."
Yes, the fact that it's his good pal Anze Kopitar who replaced him as captain clearly made the transition easier. Their stalls are right beside each other, on the road and in L.A.
That deep-rooted friendship -- both are first-round picks, two years apart, and grew up together on this team -- has been key in this all working.
"I'd say it's not the ideal situation for both of us, obviously," Kopitar said Tuesday. "I'd say our friendship goes beyond that. We've played together for 10-plus years and developed a friendship that's the type you don't lose overnight.
"It was maybe a little bit weird at first, at that exact moment, but we've been friends for a long time and that's not going to change."
Added Brown: "It's not like Kopy was in there knocking down doors, saying he wanted to be captain. That might have been more awkward, him pushing for it. But we talked pretty soon after it was announced. It's no different for us."
"I think it would be somewhat embarrassing initially, as in a 'What did I do wrong?' way," said Ray Ferraro, a former captain of the Atlanta Thrashers and now an analyst with TSN. "That team has been together so long, the feeling must be that Kopitar is the acknowledged leader, so it might make things easier. [Brown's] great start looks like he is unburdened."
Still, as excited, flattered and honored as Kopitar was to be the next Kings captain, he made sure from across the pond in Slovenia that his pal was OK.
"We texted back and forth. I guess I wanted to make sure there wouldn't be any hard feelings," Kopitar said. "Brownie is a classy guy. I don't think there was any awkwardness between us at all. So that helped."
Brown had heart-to-heart offseason conversations with Kings management. Lombardi and Brown had five meetings and they weren't just about the change in captaincy. The GM also told Brown he needed to get back to being an impact player, measuring up to his salary and contract. Brown shared his own thoughts, too. By all accounts, it was a healthy dialogue.
"It kind of caught me off guard, the timing of it. But it allowed me to have some candid conversations, both ways," Brown said. "You get it out in the open and you move forward.''
Still, a proud man, Brown -- who replaced Rob Blake as captain in 2008 -- went through the gauntlet of emotions.
"You have to get through it and let the emotion settle down,'' Brown said. "You got to let it settle and figure out what to do moving forward. Naturally, I was pissed off.
"I was pretty upset."
Seems these days like he's funneling that emotion into his game.
Now the question is where this all leads. Brown, who turned 32 last Friday, has a modified no-trade clause but not a full no-movement clause in his contract -- which means the Kings could expose him in the expansion draft in June. It's not to suggest I think they will, but people have wondered. He has five more years on his deal after this season at a $5.875 million annual cap hit.
"I want to be a King as long as they want me," Brown said when asked about his future. "The biggest thing I can do for both myself and the team is just get back to the player that I can be. And help this team win games. That's my immediate focus."