2. Connor Clifton, D
I’m not entirely sure whether it’s fair to call Connor Clifton a prospect after his spirited performance in the Stanley Cup Final against the St. Louis Blues, but if I make one point clear this article it should be that the Bruins defensive corp is not an easy thing to break into.
However, given his proven playoffs success and newly inked three-year contract extension worth a cool $3 million, I’d say Clifton has as good a shot as anyone at breaking through to Opening Night.
Clifton has this swagger and panache to him. At times, it was hard to believe that he was a rookie while he was killing it in the Stanley Cup Final just a few months ago.
Cassidy said, when speaking about the Bruins’ prospects at large, that it was unlikely that anyone expected that Clifton would be “the guy” in the Stanley Cup Final. But he was, and the Bruins were all the better for it.
That sort of unpredictability speaks to me. I always like to see the kids coming out of college just straight-up killing it in the NHL when they make the jump, and I truly believe that Clifton will be another notable player in that great tradition.
I feel as though he will make great contributions to the Bruins lineup, and we are lucky as anything to have him.
Just watch this goal over and over until we see him again in The Show. By my own calculations, it shouldn’t be too long.