Ryan Spooner Wants To Stay With The Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins forward Ryan Spooner is once again at the center of trade talks. Once again, Spooner he reiterated his desire to play for the Bruins for as long as possible.
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The Boston Bruins are once again at the center of a rumor that involves moving forward Ryan Spooner. For each of the last three seasons, the 24-year old middle-six forward has been part of some sort of trade rumor. This time around, the rumors swirl around Spooner being possibly traded to Hurricanes, the Islanders, or the Sharks.
For a guy who has to wake up and read reports that his team is thinking of dumping him every year, Spooner is handling it well. He commented on the trade rumors after the Bruins pulled out a 4-3 overtime win against the Florida Panthers.
“I try to just put it in the back of my mind, said Spooner of the most recent trade rumors. “When I was 17, I went through the same thing [in junior hockey]. I definitely want to play here. I want to help out and that’s kind of where I’m at now. If I play like I did [against the Panthers], I think I’ll be fine. I just want to go out, I want to help out, and that’s kind of where I’m at right now.”
Spooner did have a solid game against the Panthers. He earned an assist on the Backes goal, finished with a +1 rating, and was given four minutes on the power play. For the moment, it seems that Claude Julien has confidence in Spooner.
That could also be part of the problem. Spooner’s game can be frustratingly inconsistent. A series of strong games followed by lapses in judgment. Sometimes he’s a play-maker, and other times he’s invisible. It’s the main reason he’s been traveling up and down the lines all season. Spooner currently finds himself in the paradoxical position of being on the fourth forward line and the first power play unit.
Claude Julien knows that is his Achilles heel; his inconsistency. Spooner also knows it, and he told the media it is something he is working hard at correcting.
“I think there were five or six games there where I felt I wasn’t playing a bad game. Then six or seven games there where it was hard to get, I guess, the ice time that I wanted,” said Spooner about his game this season. “At the end of the day, I’ve been a little bit inconsistent.
“I just have to go out there and use my speed and my skill and I found that in the game here. I thought that I did that and I just need to play with that, and I should be fine.”
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When Ryan Spooner is on his game, he’s a reliable teammate, a solid playmaker, and someone who can change the game for his team. If Spooner can find that part of his game and stick with it, the Bruins won’t have any need to move him.