Mon, Mar 2, 2015 at 2:05am

BRUINS TAKE A CHANCE ON BRETT CONNOLLY

The Boston Bruins acquired winger Brett Connolly from the Tampa Bay Lightning for a second-round draft pick in 2015 and a second-round draft pick in 2016.

What does it give the Boston Bruins
The Bruins are in desperation mode right now, since they are fighting to simply make the playoffs this time around. Adding Connolly is a bit risky, since he has been a falling stock for a while now. That said, Boston was looking for another scoring option--something they hope Connolly can provide. He's a very talented winger with size, so he might be able to make an impact in Beantown.

What does it give the Tampa Bay Lightning
This is a very good move by Lightning GM Steve Yzerman, mainly because he's both buying and selling at the deadline. The prices for rental players and other veterans is sky-high at present time, so Yzerman was at least able to get back a couple of future assets here. Connolly was expendable because of the emergence of players such as {P Cedric Paquette} (among others) in Tampa this season.

Fantasy impact
Connolly's fantasy value has improved after this deal, though he needs to show something fairly quickly in Boston. Still, he was buried in Tampa so the fresh start should do him a lot of good. Young Bruins such as {P David Pastrnak} and {P Ryan Spooner} might be hurt by Connolly's arrival, at least in the short term.