There are a lot of questions surrounding Brett Connolly ever since he became a member of the Boston Bruins. Who will he play with? What scenarios will he be placed in? Will he play the right or left wing? How will he do this year? How much money will he want next offseason? With all of these questions still in the back of our minds, it adds up to a much more important question: Will Brett Connolly be a long term player for the Boston Bruins?
Puck Prose
At this point, it has everything to do with how he performs as an individual and team player this season. If he is not the player management hoped he could be, things will end fairly quickly. However, if Connolly becomes what scouts projected him to become when he was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Boston Bruins will have some difficult decisions to make in the coming years.
With Loui Eriksson becoming a free agent this year, it seems inevitable that, if the Bruins give Brett Connolly a hefty raise and a long term contract, that they will not have enough money to keep the Swedish winger. With Brad Marchand, Matt Beleskey, Jimmy Hayes and David Pastrnak filling up the rest of the winger positions, there just isn’t enough room for Eriksson. However, if Connolly does not have a good year, he will not get as large of a raise, and the chances of keeping Eriksson increase.
Something else to consider when giving Brett Connolly a long term contract is the ice time. Even if Loui Eriksson were to leave Boston, Brett Connolly would still need to share ice time with many skilled wingers. Pastrnak is the Bruins future while Beleskey and Hayes are just beginning their new long term contracts. There is also, Seth Griffith, Brian Ferlin and other prospects within the system to consider and where they may be promoted to in the future years.
Apr 9, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; Florida Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo (1) makes a save as Boston Bruins right wing Brett Connolly (14) and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov (7) look on in the third period at BB&T Center. The Panthers won 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
Then we come to Brad Marchand, a player that has been with the Bruins for some time and has two years left on his contract. When Marchand’s contract expires so do the contracts of Ryan Spooner and David Pastrnak. The chances of the Bruins being able to afford all three of these players may not be good when the time comes and since Marchand is the only UFA out of the three of them, he might be the odd man out.
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Just the thought of Brad Marchand departing from Boston is unsettling, but, if the Bruins were to commit a large long term contract to Brett Connolly, the possibility of Connolly filling in Marchand’s place, both in position and salary, would be likely.
It is for these reasons that the Boston Bruins need to seriously consider what signing a player like Brett Connolly to a long term deal will do to the team as a whole. Again, if Connolly does not perform up to the standards expected, he will either be traded or given a similarly small amount of salary. However, if Brett Connolly can prove that he can be a core player for a long time, then even more changes in the near future will have to be made.
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