Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
When the Tampa Bay Lightning drafted Brett Connolly with the sixth pick of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, they envisioned a big body with soft hands around the net in the mold of Dave Andreychuk. After a few seasons shuffling between Tampa and its AHL affiliate in Syracuse, it looked like Connolly had finally established himself of a bona fide NHLer on a very good Bolts squad as he recorded twelve goals through 50 games.
With the trade deadline looming, the Bolts chose to move Connolly to the division rival Boston Bruins and really shake things up in the East.
Connolly will help settle Boston’s void at right wing as his intriguing mix of size and offensive creativity should have him playing alongside Patrice Bergeron or David Krejci when he gets healthy. The Bruins were scouring for size up front, and all signs pointed towards them landing Buffalo Sabres forward Chris Stewart, but I like Connolly’s fit in Boston exponentially more.
Not only can Connolly help them this season, but I think there’s a chance he will grow into a 25-30 goal scorer and take his game to new heights skating for the black and gold.
I also think Tampa made a shrew move that can potentially be a precursor to something even bigger in landing two second-round picks. It’s no secret the Lightning need help on defense, and these draft picks can be used to address the blue line at the deadline and put them in an even better position. The team’s depth up front made Connolly expendable, and therefore allowed them to acquire assets to address other areas of weakness.
This has the potential to be a win-win for both squads, especially if the Lightning can use their acquired assets to solidify their defense. I love the way the Bruins thought outside the box and took a calculated risk that can bode well for the team now and in the future. It’s not the first time a young player that needed a change of scenery took off in Boston, as Jason Allison and Cam Neely should both ring a bell.
