HARTLEY’S HART ATTACK – (Connolly packs up again) April 9, 2021 EDITION 831
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To suggest Brett Connolly of Prince George is much-traveled would be an understatement.
At age 28, the former PG Cougars and Cariboo Cougars forward has joined his 5th NHL team (and 3rd in 4 years).
“I think it’s a great position to be in, to be accumulating young players to make your team deeper in the future, but also gaining experience down the stretch now.”
Could Connolly potentially be a spokesperson for Samsonite considering how many suitcases he has had to pack?
After starting his NHL career with Tampa, then going to Boston, Washington (where he won a Stanley Cup in 2018), Florida, and now Chicago, Connolly again gets a fresh start.
There was a point this offseason where I felt the Russell Wilson trade chatter could end by way of a surprising trade. Especially with all of the early offseason quarterback movement.
But when that didn’t happen, I was under the assumption a statement was forthcoming from (1) Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll, (2) GM John Schneider, or (3) Wilson, himself. None of those things came about. Instead, the one slamming the door on this journey is a defensive lineman Seattle cut at the beginning of March, only to re-sign later that month.
No, seriously:
Dunlap clarified this was before he re-signed. Talked to Wilson and Wilson assured him he would be with Seahawks in 2021 and closed with a Go Hawks.
Seahawks DE Carlos Dunlap Re-Signed After Wilson Pledged to Stay
Carlos Dunlap loves Seattle and everything that comes with it, on and off the field. The salary cap casualty wanted to re-sign with the Seahawks all along, and when the Seahawks got serious about him re-upping with the team, the entire process took less than 24 hours, but there was one small thing he was hoping to get ironed out: Hey, Russ, you staying or what?
Dunlap said, “I did ask him if, obviously, he was going to be with us. Because if I’m coming back, I’m coming back because I see him as my quarterback and the rest of the team. I want to pick up where we left off (in 2020),” the two-time Pro Bowler DE said of Wilson.
The Bengals had already traded defensive end Carlos Dunlap in midseason last year and released defensive tackle Geno Atkins last month. Both had been with the Bengals for 11 seasons. Receiver A.J. Green, who’d spent his entire 10-year career with the team, signed with Arizona as a free agent.
Bernard‘s best performance on the ground during his stint as a starter last year was 83 yards in a Monday Night Football upset of the the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 21, his best since the 2017 season. He finished 2020 with 124 carries for 416 yards and three touchdowns, to go along with 47 receptions for 355 yards and another three scores.
Amanda Bowen/Amanda Bowen 2020 Seattle Seahawks defensive end Carlos Dunlap (43) celebrates a stop during an NFL football game against the Washington Football Team, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020, in Landover, Md. The Seahawks defeated Washington 20-15. (Amanda Bowen via AP)
Carlos Dunlap II knew as soon as he became a Seahawk last season that he very well could become a free agent this offseason, despite having a contract that ran through 2021.
When the Seahawks acquired the veteran pass-rusher in a trade with the Bengals midway through last season, he agreed to restructure his contract with the understanding that he likely wouldn t play out the final year of the deal he had signed with Cincinnati in 2018. Either he and the Seahawks would agree to a new long-term deal, or he would be released and get a chance to test free agency.