New Penguins Defenseman Opens Up About Last Season: 'I Kind Of Lost Myself'
Photo credit: Evan Sabourin / The Hockey Writers
The new Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Connor Clifton opened up about his tough year and how he plans to bounce back next season in an interview.
During the NHL Draft, Kyle Dubas sent Conor Timmins and Isaac Belliveau to the Buffalo Sabres in return for Connor Clifton and the 2025 39th overall pick (Peyton Kettles).
After a fresh start, fans hope he will be able to bounce back from his tough 2024-25 season, where he scored 16 points, including one goal, but had a career-low minus-6 +/- and was scratched nine times from the lineup.
The defenseman opened up about his struggles from last season in an interview, where he confided in his journey to Pittsburgh.
Clifton On His Years With The Buffalo Sabres: 'It was a lot of mental battles along the way.'
The Buffalo Sabres have been finishing at the bottom of the rankings for the past 15 years and haven't won a playoff round since losing in the Conference Finals in 2007. In fact, the team hasn't ended a season ranked higher than 20th in the NHL since 2011-12, when they finished 19th.
They have now missed the playoffs for 14 straight years, the longest active drought in the league, which obviously takes a toll on players.
Even if Clifton has been a part of the team for only two years, his time in Buffalo wasn't easy.
Here's what he had to say about his journey:
"I wasn't too happy with it. I think I was all over the place: I wouldn't even say just last year, really the past two years. My game has, kind of, been at a standstill. It was a lot of mental battles along the way."
Then, the player also provided comments on how he wants to bounce back in his new opportunity with the Penguins:
"I feel like I kind of lost myself. The change of scenery, I got that call that I'm going to be a Pittsburgh Penguin, and I was really excited for the change. I want to get back to my old self, and how I play, and the impact that I have on the game. It was a couple of mental battles but, you just try to simplify and be who you are, I guess."
Clifton will be an interesting player to watch at training camp, especially considering he could end up taking on a bigger role than expected in Pittsburgh if Dubas ends up trading Erik Karlsson.
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