Florida Panthers: Brett Connolly Can Hit 20+ Goals Again This Season

After recording 22 goals with the Capitals last year, forward Brett Connolly will look to repeat the same feat with the Florida Panthers this season.

Signed on July 1 to a four-year contract worth $3.25M annually, winger Brett Connolly was brought in to provide even-strength scoring – an area the Florida Panthers struggled heavily in last season.

Of Connolly’s 22 goals, 21 of them came at even strength, while the lone other came from the man advantage. His specialty is his ability to score via 5v5, whether it be on a team’s second or third line.

However, this year for the Cats, Connolly is likely to slot in on the team’s second line, alongside forwards Vincent Trocheck and Mike Hoffman.

The line is certainly made up of “shoot-first players,” most notably in Mike Hoffman and Vincent Trocheck. Although, that doesn’t mean that Connolly can’t repeat his success from last season.

Instead, it just means that he’ll have to adjust to his new linemates’ styles and find other ways to score. He likely won’t have as many touches with the puck as he would like when he first starts, especially with Hoffman and Trocheck’s need of always having the puck on their stick.

But, what we do know with Connolly is that he isn’t afraid to get to the dirty areas to score, evident by some of the “greasy goals” he scored last year. Simply put, Connolly can score in multiple fashions and isn’t afraid to do so, either.

Connolly is obviously best in and around the slot area, but he can also cause defenders some problems when he pokes his nose into the garbage areas (more specifically, the goaltender’s crease).

That type of style is going to be key when he slides alongside Trocheck and Hoffman – two players who will more often than not decide to shoot rather than pass. That means that when one of them shoots, Connolly needs to ensure that he gets himself to the net to bury the loose rebound.

Those goals are going to occur quite often this year considering all the shots that the aforementioned two will be getting off. More importantly, though, it helps creates balance and space on the ice between his linemates, ensuring that all three aren’t sitting in the slot waiting for one-timers to come their way.

And, if the Panthers do manage to make the playoffs, Connolly’s ability to score from just about anywhere (5v5) will come in handy considering the tight hockey that’s played during the postseason.

Ideally speaking, it’s certainly not unreasonable to think that Connolly can hit the 20-goal mark again this season, despite the linemates (and their styles) that he may be playing with.

Sure, it may take some time for him to settle in and adjust to his new surroundings, but once he gets going, hitting the twenty club should be an easy feat for the British Columbia native.

It will certainly take some time for Connolly to create set chemistry with his linemates, but once that kicks in, the goals should start coming for the former Washington Capital. One thing to expect, though, is that a good amount of his goals will come from loose rebounds, whether that’s shots directly coming from Trocheck or Hoffman. Either way, the Panthers can use all the help they can get in the 5v5 department, and that’s the area that Connolly was brought in to help, which he should do.