Too Many Men: Brett Connolly and Cracking the Caps Lineup

Brett Connolly: "I need to be playing. I need to be out there, so we'll see. It's obviously a big year. I'm being patient."

In an otherwise quiet offseason for the Washington Capitals, one of their “big” moves this past summer was to sign free agent Brett Connolly to a one-year deal worth a cap-friendly $850,000.

Connolly, a former top-five pick of the Lightning, had played the last two seasons with the Bruins but had not received a qualifying offer and was set free. With a short-term, low-cost contract and plenty to prove, the addition of Connolly to the Caps’ roster was viewed at the time as a low-risk, potentially high-reward move for a team looking to shore up their forward depth.