Connor Clifton signed a two-year, $4.5 million contract with the Boston Bruins on Wednesday. It has an average annual value of $2.25 million.
The 31-year-old defenseman had six points (two goals, four assists) in 50 regular-season games for the Pittsburgh Penguins and no points in three Stanley Cup Playoff games.
It will be Clifton’s second stint with the Bruins after he played his first five NHL seasons with them (2018-23), which included a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2019. They lost to the St. Louis Blues in seven games.
“So many memories, so much fun,” Clifton said of his first stint in Boston. “I just loved being a Bruin and I told one of my friends I work out with, he’s like, ‘You are such a Bruin,’ and it made me feel really good just because I have missed my time in Boston a lot. … I have played in some really cool places since that ’23 season, but it feels really good to be back.”
Selected by the Phoenix Coyotes in the fifth round (No. 133) of the 2013 NHL Draft, Clifton has 83 points (17 goals, 66 assists) in 434 regular-season games for the Bruins, Buffalo Sabres and Penguins and 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 49 playoff games.
“I think Connor remains confident. … Publicly he said the confidence maybe comes and goes when you’re in and out of the lineup just a little bit so that was a challenge for him as was through Buffalo and Pittsburgh but we know Connor’s game," general manager Don Sweeney said. "We know how comfortable he’d be walking back into our locker room to contribute there on and off the ice. The competitive nature of the player hasn’t changed at all, and he brings an energy that our group is going to appreciate.”
The Bruins also added defenseman Will Borgen from the New York Rangers, sending a second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft and a conditional third-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft to New York.
“Will addresses some of the areas that we lose in Andrew Peeke, who was a really good contributor to our club too. … Will’s got length. He skates well. He competes, he closes in the D zone," Sweeney said. "Penalty killing is an area where we want to make sure we continue to take maybe a little load off of Charlie (McAvoy) in some of those situations as a primary guy. So we can spread that around a little bit. We just like his overall experience. We like the size of the player and his overall attributes that he’s going to come in and complement our group.”
NHL.com senior writer Amalie Benjamin contributed to this report
