Brett Connolly's Inconsistent 2016 Campaign

Quick Hits

Age: 23

Stat Line: 71 games, 9 goals, 16 assists, 25 points

SCOC Grade: C-

Analysis

The 19 game goalless streak really defined Brett Connolly's season. Frustrated from his lack of production, especially when playing alongside franchise cornerstones Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron on the first line.

For a player touted as a sniper, this is simply unacceptable.

Sure, a player can hit a rough stretch and can't find the back of the net. It happens. It's just that Connolly picked a poor stretch to go ice cold. He missed most of the second half of last season after he was acquired at the trade deadline with a broken finger, so this season was paramount to proving that he was worth two second round picks. Upon given the opportunity to play alongside the best two forwards on the Bruins, he faltered.

That being said, Connolly is a sniper. He can be a lethal finisher with good skill and speed. He can finish with accuracy like this:

While Connolly has the skills to be a bottom six goal scorer, he needs to improve his game and consistency in order to be a productive member of the Bruins in the future. If he can improve his strength and play along the boards, Connolly can improve upon his streaky and mediocre 2015-2016 campaign.