Can Brett Connolly Replace Nathan Horton and Jarome Iginla?
Ever since the departure of Nathan Horton, and subsequently Jarome Iginla, the Bruins have been in need of a shoot-first right wing to skate alongside David Krejci. The acquisition of the 6’2, 181lbs right-handed shot Connolly at the trade deadline was meant to bolster the Bruins top-6, which was in desperate need of scoring in the 2014-15 season. Connolly’s injury in his first Bruins practice limited his first season in a Bruins uniform to five games, and while he didn’t score a goal, the statistics were impressive.
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Brett Connolly is a big right wing who isn’t afraid to use his size to his advantage. He has grit to his game, and isn’t afraid to hit, albeit not as hard as Jarome Iginla used to. Aside from his physical game, he posted very good possession numbers in his five games in Boston, as well as in Tampa. His CF% was 55.1 last season in 55 games, and while it can be argued that Tampa Bay was simply a good puck-possession team, Connolly actually had a CF% of 3.4% higher than the team average.
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While puck-possession numbers are important in today’s NHL, the goal scoring ability is what Boston was looking for in Connolly. Connolly was a notorious scorer in the WHL, having scored 30 goals in 65 games in his second season, 10 goals in 16 games in his third, and 46 goals in 59 games in his final season in Prince George. His impressive goal totals led the Tampa Bay Lightning to picking him 6th overall in the 2010 draft.
Connolly had a rough time finding the back of the net in his first NHL season, finding the twine only 4 times in 68 games, before being sent down to the NHL the following season. In Syracuse, Connolly posted 31 goals in 71 games, showing that he could still provide goals.
His stats show that he can be a valuable asset to the Black and Gold. Connolly had a 14.5% shooting percentage last season. Connolly scored 1.13 goals per 60 at 5-on-5. He will look to show the Bruins that he can continue to shoot the puck if given the opportunity; one he was never provided in Tampa Bay due to their depth at the forward position. (All stats used were found on Puckalytics.com)
With an open competition for roughly two or three top-six roles available in Boston, expect Brett Connolly to show that two second round picks were a gamble worth paying, especially with his $1.05 million cap hit this season.