What are the Bruins plans for Jordan Caron?

Sep 21, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Jordan Caron (38) battles for the puck against Detroit Red Wings defenseman Brian Lashoff (23) during the second period at Joe Louis Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Let’s start off by saying Jordan Caron is an excellent hockey player.  However, he’s been in the Boston Bruins system for four years, and it’s starting to look like diminishing returns for the young French-Canadian forward. Did he have a good pre-season? Yes, he did.  If we follow the numbers though, Ryan Spooner and Nick Johnson put up better numbers than Caron. Their hardwork was rewarded with trips back down to Providence and the third place Caron ended up getting the final spot on the team.

Caron has had a black and gold cat cross his path often during his NHL career. In his four seasons, he hasn’t played a full season for Boston. In truth, he managed a half-season only once. The most games he’s played in a given season was forty eight back in 2011-12. Overall, he’s played a total of 88 NHL games with 11 goals and 14 assists for 25 points.  Somehow, he still got the last spot on the B’s roster.

Doesn’t make much sense does it? If you’ve been reading the last few days, I’ve been less than pleased with the final choices made by Bruins management on who should be on the final roster. I argued that the best players should have made the team. I am not a general manager though, and there were choices that had to be considered in the Bruins final selection.

– Caron was on a one-way contract.  The Bruins had far more options in regards to Spooner and Johnson then they did with Caron. The Bruins weren’t quite ready to throw away a four year investment just yet. Granted, there were more than willing to throw away the three years of work they put into Tyler Seguin, but Caron had none of the problems off the ice the departed wunderkind did.

– The Bruins have too much depth to care. Let’s be honest. We could put the AHL Bruins in Boston uniforms and they’d have a good chance to win the Atlantic Division. The amount of talent we have in our AHL squad is obscene. With a full eighty two game season, it’s all too likely that we will see Spooner and Johnson in the ‘B’ before too long.

– They want to shop Caron around for a trade. Caron’s value is still questionable at this time. He’s had a rough couple of years with injuries, and is finally returning to NHL form. The Bruins may be showcasing Caron in order to raise his value. If he has a few strong opening games, the Bruins could shop him around for a second or third round draft pick next year. With the amount of people that could step into his skates right now, that might have been Boston’s plans all along.