Ever since the veteran defenseman got back into the Penguins lineup a short time ago, he has been quite impressive and is earning more ice time. The veteran that the Penguins traded for in the offseason in exchange for Connor Timmins has been noticeable and active as of late.
Clifton is that kind of defenseman that is willing to stand up for his teammates and throw a punch and just throw a hit when he absolutely needs to. And in recent games, Clifton has been steady defensively in his own zone and has been smart with his stick.
Clifton for a while has been used as the seventh or eighth defenseman and really only been used when the Penguins have had injuries to their blueline. But now it seems like the Penguins should not be taking him out of the lineup when their defensemen are fully healthy.
Clifton has earned his spot and has earned ice time for the Penguins as of the past week or so. This might be a phrase that Penguins fans never thought they would say at this point in the season.
Clifton has been playing sheltered minutes on the Penguins bottom pairing and every time he is on the ice, he just looks calm cool and collected out there. He never really seems to panic and knows where to go with the puck and just knows how to play and head coach Dan Muse should love that from his veteran.
Clifton should not have been seen as a major contributor after that trade because the Penguins got another draft pick in that trade to take Clifton. But so far for the Penguins it seems to have worked out and is going quite well.
Clifton is also somebody that is useful to have because he has Stanley Cup Playoffs experience and he could play a big role in that if the Penguins qualify for the playoffs this season. Clifton is that veteran that teams want to have in the locker room and on their team because he knows what to do and how to play effectively.