Tim Connolly

[Creativero]

He only scored a total 94 goals in 8 season but judging by this highlight reel most of them were great. He some of the smoothest hands you'll ever see. Is it just me or is Connolly extremely underrated in terms of being a ultra skilled player who never fully developed because of injuries?

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[Michael Farkas]

Connolly could really handle the disc and he was an eclectic playmaker...injuries really stalled him from having a much better career for sure...maybe like a Ribeiro type career perhaps? Without being a POS, of course...

 

[FerrisRox]

I think calling him "ultra skilled" is an exaggeration and I think calling him "extremely underrated" is also an exaggeration.

 

[Neilstrong218]

As a Leafs fan I can say I'm glad to have him after hating him for so many years. He always burned us and it used to tick me off. Not anymore
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[AmericanDream]

I remember he was the poster boy for the 2010 USA Olympic team - THN actually had him on the cover for their team picks as he was really coming into his own at that time. The guy was absolutely smooth and a great player...bad injuries and simply a player possibly a bit too soon as if he was playing right now would be tearing it up..some of his goals and passes still to this day just make me go WOW. Injuries hurt him, but he had a 4 year span where he was one of the most skilled centers in the game...just could never put a full season together after his first 4 years...and oh yeah, USA Hockey didn't even pick him for the 2010 Olympic team...maybe would have been the difference in OT for us!!

 

[GJB]

An underrated player who never really fully had the chance to get his career going. Concussion problems if I remember right.

 

[Creativero]

Connolly could really handle the disc and he was an eclectic playmaker...injuries really stalled him from having a much better career for sure...maybe like a Ribeiro type career perhaps? Without being a POS, of course...

That is a good comparison. Both guy look like they were just born wired to handle handle a hockey puck no matter what else was going wrong for them.

 

[Creativero]

I think calling him "ultra skilled" is an exaggeration and I think calling him "extremely underrated" is also an exaggeration.

I will say a lot my high opinion of him is because a saw a mint Tim Connolly play in Jr. a few times. It looked like guys were afraid to even approach him because because he was such a good puck handler at that level.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

Connolly could really handle the disc and he was an eclectic playmaker...injuries really stalled him from having a much better career for sure...maybe like a Ribeiro type career perhaps? Without being a POS, of course...

stylistically i like that comparison a lot. i think connolly was a little softer, but i guess he had to given how close he was most of his career to the next hit to the head ending his career, and his production was quite a bit more PP dependent. i think when he was on connolly was also a little less of a playmaker and had a little more muster on his shot, though he was still solidly a playmaking center. but both were magic to watch at their best. '06 playoff connolly, before he got hurt, really looked like he was breaking out as a star, though it was probably just one of those hot streaks.

i'd say all told ribeiro is probably your absolute ceiling for connolly.

 

[GlitchMarner]

He was a beast in the '06 playoffs before the injury. His career wasn't anything special, however. Started off with some 25-45 point seasons and then took his game to another level when the game opened up. The post-lockout style of play and the team that Sabres had in 2005-2006 suited him well. But after getting wrecked, he was basically too soft and injury-prone to be a top six option on a consistently competitive team.

He did shine against the Leafs, though. Then he signed in TOR and was disappointing AF.

 

[Byron Bitz]

He scored some electrifying goals and it’s unfortunate that concussions jarred his career. Who knows what he would have become.