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NHL Free Agency: Florida Panthers to sign Brett Connolly

By Dave Stevenson

UNIONDALE, NY - MARCH 01: Brett Connolly #10 of the Washington Capitals skates against the New York Islanders at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum on March 1, 2019 in Uniondale, New York. New York Islanders defeated the New York Islanders 3-1 (Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images)
UNIONDALE, NY - MARCH 01: Brett Connolly #10 of the Washington Capitals skates against the New York Islanders at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum on March 1, 2019 in Uniondale, New York. New York Islanders defeated the New York Islanders 3-1 (Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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According to multiple reports, Brett Connolly is expected to join the Florida Panthers on a four-year, $14 million deal once NHL free agency opens.

The Florida Panthers have been quite active this offseason. They’ve hired Joel Quenneville to be their head coach and are the overwhelming favorites to sign Sergei Bobrovsky in free agency. The Panthers, according to various reports, will also be adding Stanley Cup champion Brett Connolly on a four-year $14 million ($3.5 million AAV) deal once NHL free agency opens on July 1.

Bob Stauffer of 630 CHED was the first to report he will sign a four-year deal. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun followed that up with confirming the four years. Andy Strickland of Fox Sports Midwest was the first to mention the money involved.

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A former Washington Capitals forward, Connolly is coming off his best season as a pro, setting career highs in goals (22) and points (46). The 27-year-old forward was originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2010 NHL Draft with the sixth overall pick.

Connolly is searching for a larger role after playing in a third-line role for the Capitals over the last three seasons. He’ll leave Washington as a major success, having helped his team win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history back in 2018. In 217 games with the Capitals, Connolly put in 52 goals and 44 assists for 96 points.

During Washington’s Stanley Cup run, he added six goals, three assists, and nine points. Furthermore, Connolly had two goals in seven games during the Capitals postseason appearance in 2019.

The Panthers are betting on him continuing his scoring ways. While with the Capitals, Connolly had an impressive shooting percentage of 18.1%. He came into Washington struggling, but found his confidence and wound up being a major contributor for the Caps.

Washington wasted no time finding his replacement, as they have reportedly agreed to a four-year deal with Richard Panik, which will be worth about $2.5 million annually. Connolly was a very popular player with the Capitals, but ultimately, the Panthers were willing to give him a four-year deal. Plus, they should give him a better chance of getting more playing time. With the Capitals, he was stuck behind their top-six forward depth.

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Connolly will be expected to join the Panthers’ third forward line but could jump onto their second line. He should have a spot on their power-play as well, which could lead to a spike in points. In limited time with the Capitals on the man advantage, he did well.

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