In the early morning hours Monday, the Boston Bruins acquired forward Brett Connolly from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for the Bruins’ second-round picks in 2015 and 2016.

Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli had many offers out there Sunday, but things cooled off prior to the Connolly transaction.

Adding the 22-year-old forward will help the Bruins in the sense that Chiarelli decided (at least right now) not to rely on a rental player like Buffalo Sabres forward Chris Stewart.

A former first-round pick (No. 6 overall) in 2010, Connolly had 12 goals and three assists for 15 points in 50 games for the Lightning this season.

He's been having his most productive campaign so far, after totaling six goals and 11 assists in 84 games across his three previous seasons. Overall, he has 18 goals and 14 assists for 32 points in 134 career NHL games.

According to ESPN Stats and Info, Connolly’s shooting percentage is 16.2 this season, which would rank first among Bruins skaters with at least 400 minutes of ice time this year. Brad Marchand is leading the Bruins with a 12.9 shooting percentage this season.

"Young player, can really shoot the puck," Chiarelli told bostonbruins.com. "He's a player we kind of looked at for a while."

In order to be effective in Boston, Connolly will need a chance to play in the top six. The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder has good size and he’s skilled.

“He should be good in Boston,” said one NHL scout.

It’ll be interesting to see where Bruins coach Claude Julien decides to use Connolly. It’s likely he’ll start on the fourth line until he proves his worth.

Chiarelli’s not done. He’s still looking for depth on defense.