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Defenseman Connor Clifton of the Boston Bruins had dreams of a remarkable spring when his team started the Stanley Cup playoffs as the NHL's No. 1 seed.
The Bruins went for it all last season, and the team delivered the Presidents Trophy while setting NHL records for most wins and most points in the regular season. But while that may have seemed like a legendary performance, the team's dreams of a truly historic season came to an end abruptly when they lost a seven-game series to the Florida Panthers in the first round.
While Clifton was among the disappointed Bruins, he has a sharp future in front of him as he enters free agency. Clifton had a fine 2022-23 season in which he scored 5 goals and 18 assists while finishing at plus-20 for the Bruins.
More than those numbers, Clifton played with confidence and aggressiveness that made him a valuable contributor to head coach Jim Montgomery's team. The defenseman demonstrated that he could carry the puck out of the Bruins defensive zone and also make accurate passes to his teammates as they attacked in the offensive zone.
Clifton has been a physical player throughout his first five seasons with the Bruins, and that continued to be an asset for him last year.
Clifton earned $900,000 per year with the Bruins each of the past 3 seasons. He should be able to triple his salary — or perhaps more — as a result. He has been one of the biggest bargains in the NHL, and he should get paid this summer.
Possibly staying put
When the Bruins season ended April 30 with their 7th game overtime loss to the upstart Florida Panthers, Clifton made it clear in his exit interviews that he enjoyed playing with the Bruins and that he would like to continue his stay in Boston.
“That’s right. I love it here,” Clifton said. “Me and (general manager Don Sweeney) had a good talk this morning in our meeting. We’ll see what happens in the next couple of weeks.”
Clifton also said that he had hoped to start talks about his future during the regular season. While that didn't happen, he thought the early departure from the playoffs might give him the opportunity to secure his position with the Bruins.
So far that has not happened. The Bruins have limited room due to their salary-cap situation, so Clifton may not be a priority as free agency beckons.
Possible fit with division rival
The Buffalo Sabres saw what the Florida Panthers accomplished during the playoff season, and it's clear they wished they could have traded place with the Stanley Cup finalists.
Going into the final week of the regular season, the Sabres and the Panthers were battling for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. That spot could have gone to the Sabres if a couple of late-season games had gone in Buffalo's favor.
By nearly all accounts, the Sabres are a team that is improving and gaining respectability. However, the Sabres have not played in the postseason since the 2009-2010 season.
One of the biggest needs for the Sabres is to improve their defense and physicality, and Clifton could provide improvement in both areas.
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The Sabres gave up 3.62 goals per game, and only 6 teams in the league had higher goals-against averages than Buffalo. While much of that is on the goaltending, the Sabres defense was much too permissive.
That has to change next season, and Clifton would be a good fit for a team that is desperate to improve.
Blackhawks in a position to add
All the news about the Chicago Blackhawks is about the likely addition of superstar-in-waiting Connor Bedard.
After a disastrous regular season, the Blackhawks became the big winners in the NHL's draft lottery when Bill Daly turned over the Blackhawks logo when it was time to fill the No. 1 position for the league's draft.
While there are no guarantees that Bedard will develop into a dominating superstar, the belief is that he will be the best draft pick to come into the league since Connor McDavid was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers.
Bedard may be the center piece, but the Blackhawks need help in all areas. They need multiple players, so they are probably going to have to spread their salary-cap money around.
Clifton would be an excellent fit for a team that struggles to stop talented offensive players.
Conclusion
Clifton wants to stay with the Bruins and would probably accept a small hometown discount to stay in Boston. But ultimately, he will go with a team that shows him the most respect — and the money.
The prediction here is that the Sabres will take Connor Clifton away from their division rivals.
