Boston Bruins
Connor Clifton spent the first five seasons of his NHL career with the Bruins.
Connor Clifton played the first five seasons of his NHL career with the Bruins. (Jim Davis/Globe Staff)
July 1, 2026 | 2:42 PM
1 minute to read
The Boston Bruins are bringing back an old friend.
Boston announced Wednesday that it signed defenseman Connor Clifton to a two-year contract with an average annual cap hit of $2.25 million.
Clifton, 31, spent the first five seasons of his NHL career with the Bruins, carving out a key role on Boston’s blue line after initially joining the team on an AHL contract in 2017.
The Quinnipiac product appeared in 232 games with Boston in his first stint with the Original Six franchise before spending the previous three years with the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins.
Clifton appeared in 50 games with the Penguins in 2025-26, recording two goals and six total points while averaging 16:46 of ice time per game.
As was the case with his first stint with the Bruins, Clifton is a physical blueliner who is also more than happy to jump into the play — even if that aggressiveness doesn’t exactly lead to tangible offensive production.
The addition of Clifton likely spells the end for Andrew Peeke’s tenure in Boston, with the right-shot D currently out on the free-agent market and likely commanding a higher price point than what Clifton just secured.
Ideally, Clifton is more of a third-pairing regular than an outright replacement for Peeke — who was largely out over his skis in a second-pairing spot with Boston in 2025-26.
But the Bruins might need a few more shoes to drop when it comes to their D corps, with Henri Jokiharu (signed for two more years with an average annual cap hit of $3 million) standing as a potential trade chip.
While Boston is still in desperate need of a legitimate, top-four option on the right side, doling out a significant contract to a player like Rasmus Andersson (seven years, $8.5 million AAV) or Jacob Trouba (four years, $8.25 million AAV) also would have represented a significant gamble for Boston.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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