For Lightning, clock ticking on Connolly decision

Decision day looms for Lightning rookie Brett Connolly, and that has many asking: Should he stay or should he go?

The sixth overall pick in the 2010 draft will play in his ninth game of the season tonight as Tampa Bay opens a two-game trip at Buffalo. After that, the Lightning must decide if the 19-year-old is ready to stay with the big club for the remainder of the season or send him back to his junior team, Prince George of the Western Hockey League.

Once Connolly plays a 10th game — whenever that is — the clock starts ticking on the three-year entry-level deal he signed in July. He could still be reassigned to junior at any point after the 10th game.

On paper, it seems like a black-and-white decision. His play since arriving for rookie camp in early September has steadily improved and each time the coaching staff has thrown something at Connolly, he has shown he can handle it.

Preseason game? No problem. Preseason game playing on a line with Steven Stamkos and Marty St. Louis? Connolly fit right in. Regular-season game? Check. Playing regular-season games on one of the top two lines? Handled it.

But there are plenty of gray areas to consider. First and foremost is trying to project whether Connolly — who missed nearly an entire season two years ago because of hip injuries — is ready to maintain what he has done throughout a six-month NHL schedule of playing games every other night.

"Every day we pile on the pluses and the minuses concerning his future and concerning our future and there has to be somewhere in there, something that tells us that both can be combined for this year for us to keep him,'' Lightning coach Guy Boucher said. "Up to now he has shown us enough stuff that he can play with the better offensive players on our team.''

Coaches often look to see if a player — let alone a rookie — drops off in his level of play beyond the first few games. To this point, Connolly's game has not dipped, but Boucher said that's not an issue at this point when it comes to deciding whether he will stay.

Through eight games, Connolly has two assists, leads all rookies with a plus-4 rating and his 17 shots on goal to rank fourth among rookies. In Saturday's game against Buffalo, he had a team-high seven shots.

"The dipping thing with him right now is not an issue, it's can he sustain it and that's very hard to do because it's a projection,'' Boucher said. "You think you are making the right projection and then three months down the road, whoops, it's the wrong one. Or, you can be misled … so projections are very hard to predict and that's why we are very, very cautious. We don't want to be overwhelmed by the good things he does or too disappointed by the things he has to learn. I think right now we've clearly stated that it's a very difficult choice we are going to have to make.

"He'll be in the game (tonight) and then after that I guess (we'll see).''

Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman indicated he has a strong idea of what the team might do regarding Connolly's immediate future, but with one more game still remaining before the decision has to be made, he's not ready to offer the verdict.

"The two biggest factors are, first, what is best for Brett Connolly long term and his development,'' Yzerman said. "Number two is, what is the right thing to do for our team this year, and they kind of go hand-in-hand. And as I've said before, if he is a contributor on our team, he makes us better and it's best for his career and his development, then we'll keep him.''

No matter what the immediate future holds for Connolly, he opened eyes in the organization with his dedication in the gym over the summer, his ability to adapt quickly and think the game at a high level. That means his road to becoming an NHL player already has started. It's just a question of whether the path starts now or there is a minor detour.

Connolly said he's trying not to think about it heading into what could be his final game in the NHL this season.

"For me, it's the same mindset I've had. I'm just trying to take things one day at a time and improve every day,'' Connolly said. "I'm just looking to try to help the team win (tonight) and try not to think about it too much.

"I'm looking forward to that decision and seeing what they have to say. It's been in the back of my mind, for sure, but you have to push that aside and play your game, try to do the things you can do. And at the end of the day all you can do is play your best and then we'll see what happens.''