Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The Boston Bruins announced today that they have sent center Ryan Spooner to Providence (AHL) and that they have activated center Chris Kelly from injured reserve. They also sent defenseman Zach Trotman to Providence.
In 22 games with the Bruins this season, Spooner has recorded zero goals and eleven assists with a -1 plus/minus rating. In 21 games with Providence, Spooner has five goals and 18 assists with a +6 plus/minus rating.
Ryan Spooner brought blazing speed and tremendous playmaking abilities to the Bruins. He was a great asset to the Bruins’ power-play, where he recorded most of his points with the team. It would have been nice to see Spooner stick with Bruins’ roster but, general manager Peter Chiarelli had other plans in mind.
He was selected with the 45th overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by the Boston Bruins. Spooner had been with the team since the beginning of December after teammate Chris Kelly was injured in the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. In that game Kelly suffered a broken fibula after Pascal Dupuis slashed him.
Before his injury, Kelly played in 29 games in which he scored three goals and four assists with a -1 plus/minus rating.
The best part about Kelly’s game is his defensive ability. Every night he brings his best defensively and his presence is best used on the penalty kill. The penalty kill had struggled since Kelly’s injury but, it since has gotten better.
According to the Boston Bruins’ official twitter feed, Kelly said he is playing tonight:
Chris Kelly said he's playing tonight. Making his return after missing 22 games ^CS
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 28, 2014
Chris Kelly will most likely play on the third line with Carl Soderberg and Loui Eriksson. However in the Bruins’ last two games Daniel Paille has played with Soderberg and Eriksson so, Claude Julien might want to keep that line together. Jordan Caron is now the only extra forward the Bruins have on the roster.
It would have nice for Ryan Spooner to stay with the Bruins and have both him and Kelly in the lineup together. However, the Bruins decided it was best for Spooner to go back to Providence and develop his skills.