Bruins acquire Brett Connolly from Tampa who is immediately out for 6 weeks w/ broken hand
- Thread starter soxhop411
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Er what?
Why would Tampa make that trade? Connolly is a nice prospect. Hasn't translated to the NHL yet, but does have 12 goals this season.
Why would Tampa make that trade? Connolly is a nice prospect. Hasn't translated to the NHL yet, but does have 12 goals this season.
FL4WL3SS said:
TB stacked at FW, Connolly playing on the 4th line this season. Plus TB just traded for Coburn so this helps replace some picks.
Good trade for both teams really, kind of the opposite of the Boychuk trade. Connolly has high ceiling, low floor, low cap hit. TB had a surplus of FW and no where for Connolly to fit. Bos had surplus of 2nds and needed cheap younger players.
Very interesting trade, and pretty unexpected. I was really concerned they would trade something like that for Atkinson or Cole, who has lower upside and is too old and slow respectively.
I love the creativity, but Im trying to understand it from TBs perspective. This kid is fast and talented. Surprised they traded him to an inter divisional rival.
I love the creativity, but Im trying to understand it from TBs perspective. This kid is fast and talented. Surprised they traded him to an inter divisional rival.
So they ended up trading Boychuk for the same price they just had to give up to get Connolly.
I really wish they just stood pat, or sold off some assets as these prices are just insane. However, I know that's easier said than done with Chia knowing his job is potentially on the line.
I really wish they just stood pat, or sold off some assets as these prices are just insane. However, I know that's easier said than done with Chia knowing his job is potentially on the line.
Wingers ahead of him.TheRealness said:
Callahan, Killorn, Kucherov, Palat, Drouin.
No top six place for him.
Monbo Jumbo said:
I assume then they must have been concerned about re-signing him.
Out of all the potential moves Chiarelli could have made (Vermette, Cole, etc), I'm ok with this one. If you're going to trade two 2nd rounders for help up front, you might as well take a flyer in a 22 year old kid with a ton of talent and high pedigree. In reading the globe article, his possession numbers seem good and he's got 12 goals despite playing with Brian Boyle and Brendan Morrow a lot on the 4th line at only 11 minutes a game.
Not an earth shattering move, but it has a high upside potential that I like.
Anyone know if the picks are both of this year's seconds? And what is Connolly's contract situation?
MuppetAsteriskTalk said:
It's their own 2nd round picks for this year (2015) and next year (2016). I believe they traded their two lower 2nd rounders over 2015 and 2016.
Connolly is an RFA, so they control him functionally. He's not likely to be paid a lot given what he's done so far unless he blows up over the next month and a half here.
I approve. Steep price, but I'd rather pay it for a 22-year old controllable Connolly than a rental like Glencross, Stewart or whomever. Connolly has top-6 upside and can score. Connolly is averaging 1.24 goals per 60, which is 16th in the league. Has good possession numbers despite being used primarily with Brian Boyle and Brendan Morrow.
Let's see what the rest of the day has in store. Both natural picks went to Tampa in this deal, they still have the Philly 2nd and NYI 2016 2nd to work with. I assume they go after a defensemen today.
Let's see what the rest of the day has in store. Both natural picks went to Tampa in this deal, they still have the Philly 2nd and NYI 2016 2nd to work with. I assume they go after a defensemen today.
BoSoxFink said:
What does Boychuk have to do with this? Boychuk was moved because of salary cap issues. I assume Connolly's salary does not provide the same kind of cap crunch.
I like getting a 22 year old NHL player for a couple of picks.
It's rare when generic hot air like "making the team better for today and the future" can be pointed to in one deal, but here you have it.
Love this deal for the ~45-50th picks this year and hopefully a lower pick next year. He could slot in up top with Lucic and Krejci.
Love this deal for the ~45-50th picks this year and hopefully a lower pick next year. He could slot in up top with Lucic and Krejci.
My point is it was a lot to give up for a kid who hasn't proven himself at the NHL level yet. He was worth the same package as you got back for Boychuk? I mean it's possible we look back and end up seeing this as a steal for the Bruins but I just think the prices right now are insane and this was an overpay.Smiling Joe Hesketh said:
BoSoxFink said:
You're comparing two incomparable things. Yes, you're paying the package you got for Boychuk to get Connolly, and sure, he's not a sure thing. But Boychuk's gone, man, and this kid is 22 and has speed and a bit of scoring touch and is at the point in his career where it's reasonable to thing he'll just improve from here. Boychuk has zero to do with this.
PedroSpecialK said:
I really don't want to break up the Lucic/Spooner/Pastrnak line. They've been damn near dominant lately. I could see Connolly playing with Marchand and Bergeron, sending Smith down to the 3rd line.
Hopefully this also means Paille gets waived, or traded for a back of pucks or whatever.
For now:
Lucic/Spooner/Pastrnak
Marchand/Bergeron/Connolly
Loui/Soderberg/Smith
Caron/Kelly/Ferlin
When Krejci returns, slot Smith down with Kelly and Ferlin, and put Krejci between Loui and Soderberg. That's a team that could reasonably compete with Montreal.
This is the stuff I find crazy. We are already anointing this kid as a first liner here? He has been in the NHL 3 different years now and hasn't stuck around or produced anywhere close enough to be a top 6 forward. I hope he does become one, but people are getting ahead of themselves here I think and I don't get the infatuation with this deal.PedroSpecialK said:
BoSoxFink said:
Simon Gagne was playing on the first line at points this season.
"First line" doesn't really mean much here.
Fair enough, I guess it says more about the sad state of the team at the moment than anything else then.TheShynessClinic said:
BSF, you're missing the point big time. If you want to make a corollary here (even though it doesn't exist) think of it this way. If the Bruins traded Boychuk for a 22 year old kid who has been a .5 g/game player for 2 years in the AHL who was a former top 2 pick, has an $850k cap hit and 4 years of control, and allowed them to move up in the 2nd round for 2 years, you would have been excited about the trade, wouldn't you?
He'd be shifting off the RW who is an 18 year old with 26 GP in the NHL. The concept of "first line" is real fluid right now. I'd say the Bergeron line is currently our first line.BoSoxFink said:
Why do you assume that Lucic - Spooner - Pastrnak is the first line?
well right now it definitely isn't, you are right. However, he was stating hypothetically when Krejci returned, in which case at worst that is your second line, if not the first.The Four Peters said:
Love this move. Top 10 pick in the draft IIRC and should be just starting to "get it" at the NHL level with some years under his belt.
Great trade.
Great trade.
Like this trade. Doesn't mortgage the future in picks or prospects and getting a player whose skill set they really lack.
Dreger is also teasing that they are wanting to do something "bigger".
https://twitter.com/DarrenDreger/status/572399601577267200
Dreger is also teasing that they are wanting to do something "bigger".
https://twitter.com/DarrenDreger/status/572399601577267200
They have Eriksson, Smith, Pastrnak, and Connolly as right wingers. Certainly some options there if they want to move one. I'd prefer to keep them, but we'll see what the rest of the day holds.
cshea said:
If they don't, I'd really like to see Eriksson switch back to his natural LW on the third line and play Connolly on the RW there.
No. In all likelihood they gave up lower 2nd round picks than they got. And they traded one year of Boychuk for a more controllable Connolly. It's a gamble that may not work out, but it's not fair to call this a simple Boychuk for Connolly swap.BoSoxFink said:
Is it a steep price for a former #6 overall pick? Essentially trading away two 2nd rounders for a top-6 pick. If this was the draft, I'd be all over that.cshea said:
Nice grab by Chiarelli. This is going to end up being one of his best trades.
LOLBoSoxFink said:
He's 22 years old. If you're dinging him for not sticking in the NHL yet, then you really have no clue.
I'm not saying a 22 year old should be fully developed. However to anoint him as top 6 forward when he hasn't proven anything yet is just as crazy as saying a 22 year old hasn't done anything in the NHL yet.FL4WL3SS said:
Do you really think people were anointing him a first line winger? There is no first line on this team, per say, and it's even more true this year. It's more about who he fits with that was the takeaway message and not necessarily giving him tons of minutes.
Relax.
Relax.
BoSoxFink said:
As noted above, he's averaged a goal every two games in the AHL, and demonstrated with opportunity he puts the puck in the net. I'm not sure why he didn't get the nod over the other guys in Tampa, but they felt with their depth he was expendable. He's not really a 3rd or 4th line guy, and it seems he wasn't getting the opportunity. I'm with the crowd that is impressed Chiarelli found this deal, let alone made it. Would you rather have Connolly (and the ability to control him as an RFA) or Cole/Vermette at their cost? I think that's a no brainer.
FL4WL3SS said:
I'm starting to think this is a precursor to a deal involving Smith or Eriksson. These next five hours will be very curious indeed.
This question is coming from a place of complete ignorance, I really know nothing about the player. How does he compare to our own AHL guys? Did we trade for Tampa's Spooner or is he a class above that level?
Edit: I really like the idea of moving Eriksson back to LW, if possible. I'd like to see if that helps him become a bit more than he is for us right now.
Edit: I really like the idea of moving Eriksson back to LW, if possible. I'd like to see if that helps him become a bit more than he is for us right now.
He has more upside than any prospect in the Bruins system. He has size and skill and has been compared to Nash in the past.
teddykgb said:
He's 2nd on the team in points, 3rd on the team in goals.
He's not going to be a 70 point player here like he was for Dallas, different systems, different styles of play, etc etc etc.
Now that he is getting healthy from the concussion issues, he's been what we hoped he would be when we traded for him - in the context of the Bruins system.
Yeah, to put it simply, the Bruins don't have anyone like Connolly. That Yzerman dealt him speaks less about their view of him than it does the team's depth and understanding of asset management. Fl4wl3ss described his ceiling fairly well, and I think this puts him atop the Bruins prospect list, with Subban being the only likely challenge to him.teddykgb said:
TheShynessClinic said:
I'm not particularly down on Eriksson, but I think he's been a shade below what we hoped he would be. The chatter at the time was that he was like a winger version of Bergeron. Maybe that chatter was unrealistic and I think the stats are within reason, but I don't think he's been half the impact player we hoped he would be. Perhaps the problem is the hope -- he's probably a pretty close facsimilie to the player he was in Dallas, but I honestly think the Bruins expected him to be a bit better than that and I'm not sure he has been.
Nonetheless, he's a good player on a pretty good deal, I wouldn't want this to read like I think he's the problem or even a problem. I guess I just still wonder if there's a leap for him to make that maybe a switch to his natural side would unlock.
teddykgb said:
He is like trading for last year's Reilly Smith but with a higher ceiling. He has some NHL experience but never fully translated his AHL success. On a min deal with RFA coming at the end of the year.
burstnbloom said:
Right. I've heard his name mentioned over the last few years, and I don't follow prospects all that much. The kid is supposed to be pretty solid.
I also like how efficient he's been at finding the net this year. He's only taken 74 shots - which would actually put him at 8th among Bruins forwards - but he's still putting the puck in the net on 16.2% of his shots.
While that is certainly a SSS, that would put him as the most efficient Bruins forward, with Brad Marchand coming in a distant second (12.9%). When his 1.5 shots/game begins to rise I assume his number will drop, but it's good to see he has been making the most of his opportunities when on the ice this year.
Trading 2 low-2nd rounders for someone who instantly becomes your top forward prospect, is compared to a Rick Nash, and can play right away? Love it.
GFIN
GFIN
Few things:
-It seems weird that a playoff team would make a trade with a division rival for a guy with upside, especially when they're not getting anything for this year. That alone makes me wary. Sure, they could be wrong.
-SH% on 73 shots is very volatile and shouldn't be expected to continue. That said, his SH% in the AHL was 12.7% which is respectable.
Overall, solid deal. 2nd rounders aren't that useful and we'd be thrilled if we drafted someone like Connolly with one.
-It seems weird that a playoff team would make a trade with a division rival for a guy with upside, especially when they're not getting anything for this year. That alone makes me wary. Sure, they could be wrong.
-SH% on 73 shots is very volatile and shouldn't be expected to continue. That said, his SH% in the AHL was 12.7% which is respectable.
Overall, solid deal. 2nd rounders aren't that useful and we'd be thrilled if we drafted someone like Connolly with one.
Agreed, it is definitely confusing from a TB perspective.
I'm assuming he had to clear waivers to be sent down, but I'm not positive.
I'm assuming he had to clear waivers to be sent down, but I'm not positive.
Yeah, I believe he needs waivers.
I think Tampa's motivation was to recoup some of what they were giving up to get Coburn. They have an embarrassment of riches up front and on the wings. I mean they have Stamkos, Callahan, Johnson, Palat, Killorn, Drouin, Filppula, Kucherov...they are loaded.
I think Tampa's motivation was to recoup some of what they were giving up to get Coburn. They have an embarrassment of riches up front and on the wings. I mean they have Stamkos, Callahan, Johnson, Palat, Killorn, Drouin, Filppula, Kucherov...they are loaded.
cshea said:
crazy loaded - and young
Flippula 30 yrs - 44 pts
Callahan 29 yrs- 44 pts
Stamkos 25 yrs - 58 pts
Killorn 25 yrs - 32 pts
Johnson 24 yrs - 61 pts
Pallat 23 yrs - 47 pts
Kucherov 21 yrs - 54 pts
Drouin 19 yrs- 26 pts
I'd really like to see Connolly put on Krejci's line. I think Pasta's style of play would work nicely with the Swedes, and Connolly seems like the type who would benefit the most from playing alongside the team's top offensive playmaker. I wonder how many teams are kicking themselves right now for never even inquiring about Connolly's availability.
I said this earlier, but I believe Yzerman is pretty good at asset management and thought this was the highest Connolly's value would be to another organization. That it was the Bruins calling didn't matter, just that they met or exceeded Yzerman's value for Connolly.Toe Nash said:
And as far as 2nd rounders not being useful, Mr. Bergeron-Cleary disagrees big time.