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Connor Clifton

#75 · Defence · Boston Bruins

Born Apr 28, 1995 in Matawan, New Jersey, USA (age 31) · 6'0", 200 lb · Shoots right · Drafted 133rd overall in 2013 by PHX (round 5)

Compare with a similar player

The defencemen closest to him in points in 2024-25. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Radko Gudas ANA · 16 P in 81 GP Zach Bogosian MIN · 16 P in 81 GP Brenden Dillon NJD · 16 P in 82 GP Sean Walker CAR · 16 P in 82 GP Nick Blankenburg NSH · 16 P in 60 GP

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

051015202018-19: 1 points118-192019-20: 2 points219-202020-21: 7 points720-212021-22: 10 points1021-222022-23: 23 points2322-232023-24: 18 points1823-242024-25: 16 points1624-252025-26: 6 points625-262026-27: 1 points126-27

Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Cap hit
2018-19 BOS 19 0 1 1 5 15 22 40 0.05 $725K
2019-20 BOS 31 2 0 2 4 12 20 90 0.06 $725K
2020-21 BOS 44 1 6 7 10 38 48 108 0.16 $1M
2021-22 BOS 60 2 8 10 -2 32 80 156 0.17 $1M
2022-23 BOS 78 5 18 23 20 60 93 208 0.29 $1M
2023-24 BUF 79 4 14 18 12 88 77 204 0.23 $3.333M
2024-25 BUF 73 1 15 16 -6 45 63 208 0.22 $3.333M
2025-26 PIT 50 2 4 6 5 53 35 180 0.12 $3.333M
2026-27 BOS 6 0 1 1 0 4 6 13 0.17 $2.25M
9 seasons Career 440 17 67 84 48 347 444 1207 0.19

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP
2018-19 BOS 18 2 3 5 2 16 11 32 0.28
2019-20 BOS 7 1 2 3 0 4 10 28 0.43
2020-21 BOS 10 0 0 0 0 2 10 27 0.00
2021-22 BOS 7 1 1 2 1 8 10 31 0.29
2022-23 BOS 3 0 0 0 -4 2 5 7 0.00
2025-26 PIT 3 0 0 0 -3 0 1 8 0.00
6 seasons Playoffs 48 4 6 10 -4 32 47 133 0.21

2024-25 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
73 1 15 16 -6 45 63 208 0.22 1.6 16:03

Contract

$3.333MCap hitends in 2026, then UFA
$208KCap dollars per point16 points in 73 games
$2.507MCap dollars per goal above replacement1.3 goals above replacement
$1.8MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
-$1.5MValueworth minus cap hit; below zero is overpaid

His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 698 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Signed by the Buffalo Sabres on Jul 1, 2023, as a new contract: 3 years and $10M, beginning in 2023-24. It runs through 2025-26, with 1 season left after this one, and he is then an unrestricted free agent.

Season Cap hit Base salary Signing bonus Performance bonuses Paid in all Clause
2023-24 $3.333M $3.333M $0 $3.333M
2024-25 $3.333M $3.333M $0 $3.333M
2025-26 $3.333M $3.333M $0 $3.333M

Each season of the contract, with this one marked. The cap hit is the same every year; what he is paid is not. The pay is as written when the contract was recorded in October 2024, so a later change, such as the rise in the lowest salary for 2026-27, is not shown.

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
Jul 1, 2026 Boston Bruins New contract 2026-27 to 2027-28 2 $4.5M $2.25M
Jul 1, 2023 Buffalo Sabres New contract 2023-24 to 2025-26 3 $10M $3.333M
Jul 1, 2019 Boston Bruins Extension 2020-21 to 2022-23 3 $3M $1M
May 3, 2018 Boston Bruins Entry-level 2018-19 to 2019-20 2 $1.47M $725K

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2024-25 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2024-25 analytics

Rating

+1.3Goals above replacement432nd of 698 skaters, 145th of 242 defencemen
+0.2Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
-2.6Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 242 ranked defencemen: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile.

Even-strength offence-1.6 39th percentileEven-strength defence-0.1 47th percentilePower play0.0 69th percentilePenalty kill+0.9 96th percentilePenalties-1.7 9th percentile

The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater, and the rank beside it is among defencemen. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance.

-0.500.511.522.52018-192020-212022-232024-252026-27Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

On the ice

What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean

46.0Corsi for %861 attempts for, 1009 against
-5.4CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
44.5Expected goals for %33.6 expected for, 41.9 against
-3.7xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
45.1Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
43.8Goals for %39 for, 50 against
100.2PDO10.7% shooting + 89.4% saves
162Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 598 skaters who played enough to be ranked: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. PDO and attempts taken are left plain, since neither is good or bad on its own.

Who he played with

Defence pairGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Connor Clifton · Bowen Byram58235:4542.546.810-10
Connor Clifton · Jacob Bryson35231:1545.141.014-13
Connor Clifton · Mattias Samuelsson48182:1846.947.65-11
Connor Clifton · Dennis Gilbert20128:3844.136.44-6

The pairs he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's pairs that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.

Chances and finishing

Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net.

1Goalsnot counting empty-netters
3.7Expected goalsfrom 103 unblocked attempts
-2.7Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.19 expected goals per 60 minutes59th
Shot quality 3.6% chance per attempt74th
Finishing -2.7 goals above expected5thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of defencemen he is ahead of, among the 244 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

0123Game 20Game 40Game 60Expected 3.7Goals 1

His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.

Where he shot from

Every attempt he took this season, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. Darker red means more attempts from that spot, and each dot is a goal. "Show every shot" switches to a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Apr 17, 2025 vs PHI W 5-4 0 1 1 1 0 1 2 19:51
Apr 15, 2025 vs TOR L 0-4 0 0 0 -3 0 0 2 20:40
Apr 13, 2025 @ TBL L 4-7 1 0 1 -1 0 2 3 19:07
Apr 12, 2025 @ FLA L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 4 2 2 20:43
Apr 10, 2025 @ CBJ L 2-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 16:41
Apr 8, 2025 vs CAR W 3-0 0 0 0 0 2 0 5 16:38
Apr 6, 2025 vs BOS W 6-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 16:39
Apr 5, 2025 vs TBL W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 2 2 20:14
Apr 1, 2025 @ OTT W 5-2 0 1 1 1 0 0 3 19:11
Mar 30, 2025 @ WSH W 8-5 0 2 2 1 0 2 4 19:05
Mar 29, 2025 @ PHI L 4-7 0 0 0 1 0 2 3 21:35
Mar 27, 2025 vs PIT W 7-3 0 1 1 2 2 2 5 20:28
Mar 25, 2025 vs OTT W 3-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 20:49
Mar 23, 2025 @ WPG W 5-3 0 1 1 1 2 2 2 21:00
Mar 22, 2025 @ MIN L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 12:51
Mar 20, 2025 @ UTA L 2-5 0 0 0 -1 2 0 2 14:09
Mar 17, 2025 @ BOS W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 14:20
Mar 15, 2025 vs VGK W 4-3 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 17:43
Mar 12, 2025 @ DET L 3-7 0 0 0 -3 0 1 2 18:41
Mar 10, 2025 vs EDM W 3-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 16:17
Mar 8, 2025 @ FLA L 0-4 0 0 0 -1 0 2 3 17:50
Mar 6, 2025 @ TBL L 5-6 0 0 0 -1 0 1 2 15:36
Mar 4, 2025 vs SJS L 2-6 0 1 1 -1 0 2 4 17:04
Mar 3, 2025 @ MTL L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 14:45
Mar 1, 2025 vs MTL L 2-4 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 12:18
Feb 8, 2025 @ NSH L 4-6 0 0 0 -1 0 1 2 11:05
Feb 4, 2025 vs CBJ W 3-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 14:40
Jan 23, 2025 @ CGY L 2-5 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 09:22
Jan 21, 2025 @ VAN W 3-2 0 0 0 -2 0 0 4 11:04
Jan 20, 2025 @ SEA L 4-6 0 0 0 -1 0 2 2 14:52
Jan 17, 2025 vs PIT L 2-5 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 12:30
Jan 15, 2025 vs CAR W 4-2 0 1 1 1 2 1 4 16:37
Jan 11, 2025 vs SEA L 2-6 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 13:27
Jan 9, 2025 @ OTT W 4-0 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 18:41
Jan 6, 2025 vs WSH W 4-3 (SO) 0 0 0 -2 0 0 0 14:20
Jan 4, 2025 @ VGK L 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 13:01
Jan 2, 2025 @ COL L 5-6 (OT) 0 0 0 1 2 0 4 12:59
Dec 31, 2024 @ DAL L 2-4 0 0 0 1 2 1 5 14:31
Dec 29, 2024 @ STL W 4-2 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 14:14
Dec 27, 2024 vs CHI W 6-2 0 0 0 1 0 1 6 18:52
Dec 23, 2024 @ NYI W 7-1 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 15:38
Dec 21, 2024 @ BOS L 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 17:35
Dec 20, 2024 vs TOR L 3-6 0 1 1 -1 0 0 2 12:56
Dec 17, 2024 @ MTL L 1-6 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 14:18
Dec 14, 2024 @ WSH L 2-4 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 14:32
Dec 11, 2024 vs NYR L 2-3 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 16:39
Dec 9, 2024 vs DET L 5-6 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 2 0 3 17:08
Dec 7, 2024 vs UTA L 2-5 0 0 0 -2 0 2 4 17:26
Dec 5, 2024 vs WPG L 2-3 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 0 9 21:19
Dec 3, 2024 vs COL L 4-5 0 1 1 1 0 0 4 16:06
Nov 30, 2024 @ NYI L 0-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 13:14
Nov 29, 2024 vs VAN L 3-4 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 1 4 13:36
Nov 27, 2024 vs MIN L 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 13:35
Nov 23, 2024 @ SJS W 4-2 0 0 0 0 4 0 5 14:04
Nov 22, 2024 @ ANA W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 5 1 3 15:26
Nov 20, 2024 @ LAK W 1-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 17:21
Nov 16, 2024 @ PHI L 2-5 0 0 0 -1 2 1 2 14:25
Nov 14, 2024 vs STL W 4-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 15:03
Nov 11, 2024 vs MTL L 5-7 0 0 0 0 2 1 5 17:45
Nov 9, 2024 vs CGY W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 14:07
Nov 7, 2024 @ NYR W 6-1 0 1 1 1 0 0 3 16:40
Nov 5, 2024 vs OTT W 5-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 17:56
Nov 1, 2024 vs NYI L 3-4 0 0 0 -2 0 2 3 14:07
Oct 28, 2024 vs FLA L 2-5 0 0 0 0 2 1 4 16:14
Oct 26, 2024 vs DET W 5-3 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 20:16
Oct 22, 2024 vs DAL W 4-2 0 0 0 1 2 0 4 15:42
Oct 19, 2024 @ CHI W 4-2 0 1 1 0 0 1 4 15:37
Oct 17, 2024 @ CBJ L 4-6 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 11:33
Oct 16, 2024 @ PIT L 5-6 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 0 2 17:32
Oct 12, 2024 vs FLA W 5-2 0 1 1 2 0 3 1 17:26
Oct 10, 2024 vs LAK L 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 14:42
Oct 5, 2024 @ NJD L 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 13:26
Oct 4, 2024 vs NJD L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 3 13:39