Clifton hits a key milestone
Defenseman waiver eligible at 60-game mark
As far as milestones go, the one Connor Clifton hit on Sunday night will not get him a video tribute on the Jumbotron or leaguewide accolades from the game’s luminaries.
But when the Bruins’ defenseman suited up against the Montreal Canadiens, it was his 60th game in an NHL uniform. That plateau won’t guarantee him anything if he can’t maintain his play at a certain level. But hitting that mark means he will now have to go through waivers if the B’s want to send him to the American Hockey League. And though Clifton is still trying to prove that he’s an every-night NHL defenseman, the guess here is that he’s shown enough this year — and in 18 playoff games last spring — to give the B’s management considerable pause before they would try to get him through waivers.
Clifton wasn’t popping any champagne bottles over hitting 60 games, but he was indeed aware of it.
“Obviously, it’s part of the journey. I guess tonight will be 60, but I haven’t been looking at too much. I just want to prove my worth and make the lineup when it’s game day,” said Clifton after Sunday’s optional morning skate.
Any sense of accomplishment getting to this quasi-magic number?
“It’s an early milestone,” said Clifton with an I-guess-so shrug. “But my mindset is to keep getting better and I have to do that to stay in the lineup every day, which is my plan. We have a lot of great D here, so we’ll see what happens, so I’m just going to keep working and let things fall into place.”
While he was entrusted with some valuable minutes during the B’s playoff run last spring, the 24-year-old Clifton is still very much a work-in-progress. When he arrived in Providence two years ago as a free agent signee out of Quinnipiac (he was a first-round draft pick of the Coyotes but did not sign with them), his game had a healthy helping of derring-do. Cliffy Hockey is what Providence coach Jay Leach called it, usually with a smile and a shake of the head.
Some of that had to be tamed, to be sure, but Cassidy has found himself looking for a little bit more of that swashbuckling element this year. A perfect balance between that and a sense of defensive responsibility has yet to be found.
“Maybe expectation was higher after performing in the playoffs at a high level. Then we realized he’s still new to the NHL,” said Cassidy in assessing Clifton’s season. “We want to see a little more assertiveness in his game without being reckless. Some of the recklessness has made him a better player at times and we’re OK with that, as long as it doesn’t get too out of hand. I think he’s trying to play a nice, consistent game and make good decisions, so I think he sometimes loses a bit of that so we have to remind him. So some of that’s on us to make sure he still feels good about being assertive without putting himself in bad spots. Where do I rank him? He’s played well for us. There’s a reason why he’s in the lineup most nights. We want to keep working with him. I’d say he’s been solid, room for improvement. Probably like a lot of guys.”
Clifton had two goals and no assists in 22 games headed into Sunday’s game, but he’s not concerned with his numbers.
“You can always regroup and get back to it,” said Clifton, who is partnered with Matt Grzelcyk. “But right now we’re scoring a lot of goals so what we need more of is the defensive game so that’s kind of what I’ve been doing. It’ll come. I’m not too worried about it. Obviously, it’s nice to contribute a little more offensively when it happens. Hopefully it’ll be a little more soon, but it is what it is.”
Clifton is in a good environment right now to learn, playing alongside established veterans like Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug as well as still-developing topfour defenders like Brandon Carlo and Charlie McAvoy. He’s also getting pushed, and it’s set to become even more competitive. John Moore, out all year following offseason shoulder surgery, was sent to Providence for a conditioning stint and he should be in the mix soon. And if Kevan Miler can get healthy – he’s not skating right now after suffering a setback in his rehab from a twice-fractured kneecap – the B’s will have nine NHL-caliber defensemen. If Clifton wants to stay in the lineup, he has to keep pushing his game forward.
But like most good players, Clifton isn’t afraid of a challenge.
“It’s a competitive atmosphere, obviously,” he said. “It’s a lot of great NHL defensemen who’ve done it a lot longer than I have. So it’s nice to have them around and ask them questions. It’s never a bad thing to have too many great defensemen.”