Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

One-year contract in Boston ‘would be ideal,’ says Connolly

Boston Bruins v Tampa Bay Lightning

Boston Bruins v Tampa Bay Lightning

Scott Audette

Brett Connolly’s time with the Bruins hasn’t been great, but it hasn’t been terrible either.

Which sort of sums up his NHL career to this point.

Connolly, the sixth overall pick in 2010, posted career highs across the board this year in Boston -- 71 games played, nine goals, 25 points -- but has yet to make the leap to full-time, top-six forward status.

The leap may never come.

But Connolly, a pending RFA, wants to try and make it in Boston.

“You’re not really too sure what’s going to happen. But [a one-year contract] would be ideal, to have another crack it to prove yourself,” Connolly said, per the Boston Herald. “There were some good times for me and some rough patches. It’s just a matter of being consistent. I still want to prove to this organization that I could be a good player and a consistent player.”

Connolly, who turns 24 in May, will have his one-year, $1.025 million deal expire in July. He had some good auditions this season for the aforementioned top-six role -- receiving several looks on Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron line -- but seemed more effective in a fourth-line capacity.

(As the Herald notes, the Connolly-Noel Acciari-Landon Ferraro trio was one of Boston’s more effective checking lines this season.)

Considering he’s an RFA and given what the club gave up to acquire him -- two second-round picks -- it’s likely Boston sticks with Connolly for another year.

But that hardly means he’s safe.

In his year-end remarks, Bruins president Cam Neely said getting “heavier” at right wing -- Connolly’s natural position -- was one of three areas of improvement he and GM Don Sweeney would tackle this offseason.

Related: Neely’s sick of Boston media ‘stirring the pot’