It’s been an interesting couple of years for Connor Clifton.
A product of the U.S. National Team Development Program and standout at Quinnipiac University, Clifton’s impressive resume did not guarantee any semblance of smooth sailing when it came to making the jump up to the pro ranks.
Inking an AHL contract with the Providence Bruins, Clifton’s first few games with the Baby B's actually saw him placed in a bottom-six role at forward, with the club looking to find where best to utilize a blueliner lauded for his physical style of play and plus hockey IQ.
Two years later, the Bruins seem to have found their answer — and it’s a well-deserved spot up in the NHL ranks.
While names like Urho Vaakanainen, Jeremy Lauzon and Jakub Zboril might have taken precedence over Clifton when it came to top prospects at the outset of the 2018-19 campaign, no B’s player arguably made the most of their opportunity quite as much as Clifton did this past year, becoming a key cog on Boston’s blue line en route to a Stanley Cup Final appearance.
Appearing in 18 of Boston’s 24 playoff matchups this spring, Clifton helped assuage some of the Bruins’ fears when it came to their third D pairing, filling in admirably for veteran Kevan Miller, who missed the entire postseason due to a pair of fractures in the same kneecap.
Clifton’s trial by fire certainly left an impression on the Bruins’ top brass, as the club announced Monday morning that the 24-year-old defenseman signed a three-year contract extension worth a total of $3 million.
The extension does not kick in until after the 2019-20 season concludes, with Clifton only costing the B’s $725,000 this year before getting a relatively minor pay raise of $1 million over each of the following three years before hitting free agency again in 2023.
“Connor did a really good job, and he deserved to play,” Don Sweeney said of Clifton’s efforts this past postseason. “All the situations he did. He took advantage of it, provided a lot of depth for our club. Obviously, we missed Kevan Miller. I think moving forward, we just recognize that there’s a lot of value in what Connor brings to the table. You can slot him in. He was out of the lineup, and he’d go back in and play the exact same way. There’s a lot of value there.”
When projecting Clifton’s role in a crowded D corps at the start of the 2019-20 campaign, a $725,000 cap hit already stands as outstanding value, with the right-shot D expected to earn some starting reps out of camp with both Miller and John Moore (shoulder surgery) likely sidelined to start the new year.
Even if one was to just view Clifton as a depth piece in the same vein as, say, a Steven Kampfer, there’d be few qualms about his new contract — both in terms of cost and especially length.
But when you factor in both the expected progression of Clifton’s game and the changing state of Boston’s D corps — this is looking like more and more of a masterstroke by Sweeney and Co.
Going into the 2019-20 season, here’s a look at the expected returners on Boston’s blue line, as well as their contract situation going forward.
Zdeno Chara: $2.5 million cap hit - UFA in 2020-21
Charlie McAvoy: RFA in 2019-20
Brandon Carlo: RFA in 2019-20
Torey Krug: $5.25 million cap hit - UFA in 2020-21
Matt Grzelcyk: $1.4 million cap hit - RFA in 2020-21
Kevan Miller: $2.5 million cap hit - UFA in 2020-21
John Moore: $2.75 million cap hit - UFA in 2023-24
Steven Kampfer: $800K cap hit - UFA in 2021-22
Connor Clifton: $725K cap hit - UFA in 2023-24
When you add in an expected push for playing time from Vaakanainen in training camp, you’re looking at quite the logjam on defense for the Bruins next year, with a talented skater like Clifton on the outside looking in at a starting role once Miller returns.
Of course, we still have a full two months of offseason ahead of us, and the Bruins seem likely to make a move or two in order to both free up cap space and bodies on the roster before the regular season gets underway.
Krug remains as Boston’s top trade chip this summer, while both Moore and Miller could be dangled as possible trade pieces in the fall once they’re given a clean bill of health — similar to how Boston dealt Adam McQuaid just ahead of the club’s preseason trek to China last September.
If one or two spots open up, Clifton could very well see some healthy minutes up in the NHL ranks, with even more playing time seemingly guaranteed in 2020 and beyond with more contracts coming off the books.
And given the strides made by Clifton in what was essentially a year excelling as an injury call-up, one can only expect even more promising results with close to 40 games of NHL experience now under his belt and a whole summer to train.
While the New Jersey native’s hard-hitting presence might be the hallmark for “Cliffy Hockey,” his bombastic style goes far beyond some crushing open-ice checks. Clifton’s awareness out the ice might be his top asset, with the rookie capable of both shooting through the neutral zone during an ill-timed line change and reading when and when not to jump into a play in the O-zone.
Cliffy Hockey turns on the jets. pic.twitter.com/yHUgHxHcIs
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) May 15, 2019
The @NHLBruins are on the board!
They cut the lead in half.
?: @nbc or stream it here: https://t.co/svSJ7srvwn pic.twitter.com/mvvfdW1TFl
— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) May 28, 2019
