‘Over the last month, Connolly has been everything the Sabres thought he could be when they signed him to a three-year, $8.7-million deal after that magical run in 2005-06. He’s the catalyst of the power play. He’s their best open-ice playmaker, edging Derek Roy. And he logs plenty of extra minutes on the penalty kill, often teaming with the utterly-disappointing Jochen Hecht. And while all that makes him attractive on the short term, his injury-riddled past can’t make him an option for the future, can it?’