Brett Connolly, RW, 27
There are plenty of affordable and quality options available in free agency this coming offseason and Washington Capitals forward Brett Connolly fits that bill perfectly.
He’s coming off a career year having set new highs in goals (22), assists (24) and points (46) and he tallied two points in seven Stanley Cup Playoff games for the Caps, who were unable to defend their title as Stanley Cup Champions.
A sixth overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft, Connolly has found his home on the third line for Washington and has consistently upped his production in each of the last three years.
He’ll get a raise on the $3 million extension he signed in 2017 and that could be just about doable for Vegas if they can shift some bodies off the roster first.
Whether it is achievable for the Capitals however remains to be seen given that they have their own salary cap issues to contend with, namely working out new deals with stars Braden Holtby and Nicklas Backstrom who will rightly take priority for that franchise.
Connolly, who ranks second in goals (52) and fourth in points (96) among all NHL players averaging less than 14 minutes per game in his three seasons with Washington, is likely to attract more than a few suitors in free agency given his career year and, at 27-years of age, he still has a few years of very good hockey ahead of him which would make a mid-term contract all the more appealing.
A third line of Alex Tuch-Erik Haula-Brett Connolly has the potential to be one of the most potent third lines in the NHL and Connolly has also proven that he can come up clutch in key situations, producing nine points (six goals, three assists) in 24 postseason games as the Caps lifted the Stanley Cup in 2018.