Boston Bruins: Brett Connolly Needs A Great Season
Peter Chiarelli and Cam Neely both agreed to bring in forward Brett Connolly during last season’s trade deadline. They may have not both agreed on the value of the right winger, though.
Live Feed
Puck Prose
Chiarelli gave up two second-round draft picks to Tampa Bay in exchange for Connolly, who only scored 12 goals in 55 games played between TB and Boston last season. The 23-year-old has yet to score in a Boston Bruins uniform. Neely is an advocate for more offense and speed in Boston. That’s why he co-signed Connolly. Current GM Don Sweeney and Neely recognize Brett Connolly must prove his offensive element in the 2015-16 season.
Wednesday’s whirlwind of signings brought left winger Matt Beleskey and right winger Jimmy Hayes to the team. With these additions, the Bruins will likely cease forward transactions this offseason. The team has needed a pure goal scorer. A sniper. Sweeney and company can only hope Connolly buds into the offensive threat he is pronounced to be.
More from Bruins News
- Bruins release Prospects Challenge roster, schedule Tuesday
- Bruins bringing back familiar forward on tryout contract
- The Bruins should take a look at these four free agents
- NHL Network lists Ullmark as sixth-best goalie in the league
- The Lasting Legacy of David Krejci
Connolly is dubbed as a goal scorer. Playing for the Prince George Cougars (WHL), Connolly scored 86 goals in four years (averaging 21.5 goals per year). Entering the 2010 NHL Draft, these stats labeled him as a sniper. Tampa Bay perceived Connolly as just that, drafting him 6th overall. Yet much has been said over Connolly’s disappointing first few years as an NHLer. Pundits say the winger was prematurely exposed to the league. The stats suggest so, as Connolly has only scored 18 goals through four years of NHL experience.
The Bruins are hoping this is the year Connolly elevates his game to a new level. He’ll be entering his fifth season as a pro, and looks to post much more appealing numbers with the Bruins. Neely and Sweeney need him to. Connolly appears to be Boston’s lone true sniper. As a team who struggles to score goals of years late, Connolly’s offensive element is needed at its most.
Early projected forward lines suggest Connolly will be playing on the second forward line:
Brad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron – David Pastrnak
Matt Beleskey – David Krejci – Brett Connolly
Loui Eriksson – Ryan Spooner – Jimmy Hayes
Chris Kelly/Zac Rinaldo – Joonas Kemppainen – Maxime Talbot
Connolly, on this roster, is a top-six forward. His career numbers suggest otherwise, yet Boston is in a position where Connolly, and his fledgling shot, are needed. The NESN broadcast crew infamously touted Connolly’s shot as “one of the best around the league” last season shortly after Connolly arrived at the deadline. Entering his draft, that was candidly projected for the winger. After skating through rough years in the NHL, Connolly looks to finally rebound and produce offensively, a hallmark of his game.
Neely and Sweeney are running a tight ship. They’ll fire head coach Claude Julien if the team spirals downward fast next season. The front office duo will make changes if changes are needed. They won’t hesitate to make a move. .If Connolly produces a muddling season with the Bruins, his tenure with the team may be short-lived.
Entering the 2015-16 season with Boston, Connolly will be fully healthy, unlike his snake-bitten start with the team when he suffered a hand injury during a team practice prior to playing a regulated game. The Bruins will look to elevate their off the rush play this season. Connolly’s skilled speed will help him generate scoring chances off the rush, and as a sniper, he’ll look to bury those chances. He has the size (6-foot-2) to possess the puck stronger and work his way to the net. Connolly will also look to see big power play minutes in 2015-16, where he can crash the net with a scrappy Hayes.
Higher goal scoring is a must for the Bruins this season. They lost countless games last year due to the inability to put pucks in the back of the net. Goals became hard to come by. The Bruins need a player of Connolly’s caliber, and potential, to spark this season. Pastrnak is too young to rely on as a lone sniper, though he has morphed into one after his first season with the team.
If Connolly fails to prove his offensive element with the Bruins, it would suggest the player may never develop into the offensive weapon he was dubbed to be in the NHL.