Brett Connolly

[PearJuice*]

Hey everyone, Canucks fan coming in peace (actually I've always liked the Lightning - especially when they beat Calgary in the finals, lol)

Anyway, I'm intrigued by Brett Connolly and reports of a strong pre season.

What do Lightning fans think of Connolly so far? Is he going to stick on the big club?

I apologize if this subject has already been discussed here...

Click to read more...

 

[BoltSTH]

He has to prove that being in the NHL is better in his long term development than going back to Juniors. He has 9 games, or less (when Ohlund comes off IR someone has to go down) to prove it. Long term I see him being on Stamkos's wing for a many years.

 

[LTIR Trickery]

I think there is a solid chance he ends up staying with the big club. While still growing physically, mentally he is already in the right spot.

 

[Vasilevskiy]

They have given him the chance to stay with the big club, its his turn to show them what he can do

 

[Stor]

Ask once his nine games are over; that's when we'll have a much easier decision. Junior players don't make a Yzerman all the time and he's already said that he'll play these sorts of prospects where they can get enough time. Connect the dots and he's still on the team and easily getting a top six or at least top nine spot on this squad. He's definitely done enough to raise a few eyebrows but he's going have to play like his life depends on it if he doesn't want to be sent packing once Ohlund returns.

 

[ThunderAlleyNomad]

And he better get his work ethic and intensity level up if he wants to stay.

Boucher took a dig at RW Brett Connolly after one lackadaisical drill, the basic message being the rookie was not in juniors anymore.

Of course Boucher didn't appear to be happy with anybody after practice (is he ever?), but not a good thing for a rookie trying to prove he belongs with the big boys.

http://www.tampabay.com/sports/hockey/lightning/coach-guy-boucher-takes-aim-at-tampa-bay-lightnings-mind-set/1195576

 

[TBLbrian]

Other than some nervous bouncing around of the puck, I thought he looked great tonight. I'm not sure he is physically strong enough yet to play in a consistent top 6 rold, but he def. looks like he is earning his 9 games. There were a few times tonight I thought it was Stammer when he was skating towards my seat because of his heads up skating with the puck.

This kid will definitely be a contributor sometime soon. Maybe not this year, but i'm interested in these next 9 games for sure

 

[ThunderAlleyNomad]

He didn't look out of place. Good on faceoffs. Didn't appear to show much in the way of first game nerves. Still looks like a skinny weed though. Needs the Gary Roberts treatment.

 

[The Macho King]

I actually like him and Shannon together. That Shannon kid is ridiculously fast. Every time he chipped and chased he was the first into the corner by about 2 seconds.

 

[snowden]

He looked kinda invisible to me. Looked more like he was waiting for something to happen instead of creating things himself. I don't see him lasting more than 9 games.

 

[AllAbout813]

He didn't look out of place. Good on faceoffs. Didn't appear to show much in the way of first game nerves. Still looks like a skinny weed though. Needs the Gary Roberts treatment.

Agreed, let Gary work that magic. Much like everyone else I expect next year to be better for him, he didn't look bad though.

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/light...s-debut?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

One of the few bright spots of Saturday's loss, according to Boucher, is rookie Brett Connolly, who continues to impress.

"He's shown me (guts)," Boucher said. "I've seen him play really well with the rookies, rookie camp he looked like a man amongst boys. So then you wait for training camp, and during training camp he adapted every day and then you get to exhibition games where he looked great. And after exhibition games, when the real games started, I figure his play is going to lower down a little bit, and it hasn't. He played a good game against Carolina and he was one of our top players against Boston, in a place that's extremely hard to play against, a team that plays physical and he was looking like a vet. Obviously he's got to keep it up, but right now, he's showing me that he's not afraid to be the first on puck in this league against the big boys."

 

[The Macho King]

I kind of agree with that. Most of his mistakes are "rookie" mistakes, which are going to happen. He hasn't seemed physically outclassed.

 

[StammerHed2010]

I kind of agree with that. Most of his mistakes are "rookie" mistakes, which are going to happen. He hasn't seemed physically outclassed.

Exactly what I was thinking. He passes the test physically to be able to play with the guys in this league. His mistakes are usually a result from the speed of the game ( i.e. his turnover last night in the neutral zone, his penalties against Boston). The only cure to that problem is to continue to get used to the game at this level. I think Y is willing to keep him if he feels that he can be a valuable asset by the end of the season.

 

[StammerHed2010]

Does anyone else think that if Connolly makes it past the 9 game deadline Teddy becomes expendable?

He's on a 1 year deal, and I imagine it would be tempting to try to flip him for a reliable defenseman.

 

[BoltSTH]

Does anyone else think that if Connolly makes it past the 9 game deadline Teddy becomes expendable?

He's on a 1 year deal, and I imagine it would be tempting to try to flip him for a reliable defenseman.

Downie, Shannon, Thompson, Hall, Pyatt, Jones all up at the end of the year. I see Shannon and Textbook resigned for sure, but only 1 of the other 3.

Purcell signed through 2012-2013 and plays well with Vinny.

 

[Felonious Python]

Does anyone else think that if Connolly makes it past the 9 game deadline Teddy becomes expendable?

He's on a 1 year deal, and I imagine it would be tempting to try to flip him for a reliable defenseman.

No...why would Teddy become expendable because of that?

Did you have a reliable defenseman already in mind? Because McCabe is still out there.

 

[StammerHed2010]

It just seems to me that Purcell and Connolly will eventually fill very similar roles and we would have 3 players that could realistically fill in that second line wing spot with V4 (Shannon/Connolly/Purcell)

Perhaps expendable was a bad word, but it would seem that we'd have an abundance at that forward position and a hole on our d still.



If you guys disagree and think Teddy will be here for a long time, I'm glad. The thought that he might be traded when Connolly and/or Ashton came along was the only thing stopping me from getting a jersey.

 

[Vasilevskiy]

I don't want Purcell to be traded, he is money, however, I think Malone will be gone sooner or later if Ashton can fill his spot

 

[newham89]

24. Brett Connolly - C/RW - Tampa Bay Lightning
Height: 6-2 Weight: 203

Steve Yzerman's decision to draft Brett Connolly following a season in which he played in just 16 games was seen as quite a gamble. Yzerman's intuition paid off in 2010-11 as Connolly's skill was on full display; the 6'2 center registered 73 points in 59 games for the Prince George Cougars. Not a typical playmaking center, Connolly has a great shot and ability to put the puck in the back of the net. He has added size since being drafted and weighs in at 203 lbs. The forward developed into a more complete player, but still needs to make some adjustments in the defensive zone before becoming a high-end forward. Even with his production last season, he was dogged by hip problems, so injuries will remain a concern until he can put together a complete and healthy season.


Taken from Hockeys Future's top 50 prospect list. Anyone remember these dogged hip problems he faced last year? Apart from that its a surprisingly accurate assessment IMO.

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

24. Brett Connolly - C/RW - Tampa Bay Lightning
Height: 6-2 Weight: 203

Steve Yzerman's decision to draft Brett Connolly following a season in which he played in just 16 games was seen as quite a gamble. Yzerman's intuition paid off in 2010-11 as Connolly's skill was on full display; the 6'2 center registered 73 points in 59 games for the Prince George Cougars. Not a typical playmaking center, Connolly has a great shot and ability to put the puck in the back of the net. He has added size since being drafted and weighs in at 203 lbs. The forward developed into a more complete player, but still needs to make some adjustments in the defensive zone before becoming a high-end forward. Even with his production last season, he was dogged by hip problems, so injuries will remain a concern until he can put together a complete and healthy season.


Taken from Hockeys Future's top 50 prospect list. Anyone remember these dogged hip problems he faced last year? Apart from that its a surprisingly accurate assessment IMO.

He didn't have any hip problems last season, but he did have some other injuries.

 

[The Wyzerhood]

Downie, Shannon, Thompson, Hall, Pyatt, Jones all up at the end of the year. I see Shannon and Textbook resigned for sure, but only 1 of the other 3.

Purcell signed through 2012-2013 and plays well with Vinny.

Downie has to be the one re-signed of the other 3. We need to keep an agitator amongst our forwards, not to mention he still has value as a top 6 forward and even if he can't stick on Stamkos' line, at the very worst he is still a great third line guy.

Does anyone else think that if Connolly makes it past the 9 game deadline Teddy becomes expendable?

He's on a 1 year deal, and I imagine it would be tempting to try to flip him for a reliable defenseman.

With scoring already in question outside of the big 3, I don't think we have the luxury of trading Purcell. Also, Connolly has no NHL post-season experience and would have to show comparable or better regular season stats than Purcell, in order to make him expendable.

If anything, I see Y packaging together some combination of picks/prospects and Clark and/or Pyatt for a 3rd/4th defenseman like Nicklas Grossman to play with Kubina.

 

[The Macho King]

This is somewhat related but... I just don't see Downie playing too well on the top line right now. Maybe he doesn't have the wheels, or maybe it's something else, but I think I'd rather see him down on the second or third line, with either Shannon, Connolly, or Malone on the top. Thoughts?

 

[The Wyzerhood]

This is somewhat related but... I just don't see Downie playing too well on the top line right now. Maybe he doesn't have the wheels, or maybe it's something else, but I think I'd rather see him down on the second or third line, with either Shannon, Connolly, or Malone on the top. Thoughts?

I've thought the same thing after watching the past 3 games, granted it's only a 3 game sample. Downie's skill and speed don't match that of Stamkos and Marty, and when he gets the puck in the offensive zone with them, he tends to turn the puck over and looks confused/overwhelmed in general. He looks much more comfortable playing on the third line with Moore, where it's more of a dump and chase and he can work the corners. A line of Shannon-Moore-Downie would be perfect in my mind.

If Connolly can limit the rookie mistakes/mental lapses, he'd be a great fit with Stamkos and Marty. He'd be another weapon for opposing teams to worry about on that line, and I think it would encourage him to step up his game and play to Stamkos/Marty's level. It will also give us a more clear indication of whether he's ready to stick with the team for the whole season.

 

[LightningStrikes]

He's been fine so far. I'm not sure if dressing one of Pyatt, Ritola or Jones over him would make us a better team. Having someone like Connolly on the 3rd line and the 2nd PP unit and taking a couple shifts on either our 1st or 2nd line makes us a deeper, way more dangerous and less predictable team. It's like we're icing three scoring lines. Yes, he's had his fair share of rookie mistakes and he's taken a couple of bad penalties but he's also created a couple of great scoring chances and definitely provides a spark for our team. So far there's no reason to send him down, IMO.