Brett Connolly appears to have finally found a home in the NHL.
It's on the Washington Capitals' third line, more specifically, where the 24-year-old is in the midst of his most potent season to date.
Playing alongside Lars Eller and Andre Burakovsky, the winger recorded his 10th goal of the season in his 39th game on Sunday. In so doing, he eclipsed the nine goals scored in 71 games with the Boston Bruins last season, and kept him well on pace to top the career-high 12 goals scored as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2014-15.
Not bad for a player making $850,000.
How he got here
While his goal totals aren't blowing anyone away quite yet, Connolly is finally starting to show the kind of output expected when the Lightning selected him sixth overall in 2010.
After scoring 46 goals in 59 games for the WHL's Prince George Cougars the season after he was drafted, Connolly was unable to find a groove in the NHL but became a fixture at the AHL level, where he averaged 0.88 points per game over two seasons.
In the end, Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman decided to cut bait, sending Connolly to the Bruins at the 2015 trade deadline for Boston's second-round picks at the 2015 and 2016 NHL Drafts. He broke his finger in practice before appearing in a single game with his new club, and was simply unable to find the net, scoring nine goals on 104 shots in 76 games in black and gold.
He became available in July after Boston decided not to sign him to a qualifying offer. In swooped the Capitals, who in adding both Eller and Connolly as free agents are now reaping the benefits of significant scoring depth on the third line.
What's next?
Scheduled to become a restricted free agent at season's end, Connolly is not only proving he belongs in the NHL, but is working toward added term and salary on his next deal, be it with the Capitals or elsewhere.
If he keeps it up and helps Washington achieve the ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup, he'll be considered one of the best signings of the 2016 offseason, at the very least.
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