Boston Bruins: Ryan Spooner Earning Top Six Time

Boston Bruins’ center man Ryan Spooner has been playing a significantly more complete and effective game so far this season, and the team has benefited from it. Coach Claude Julien clearly didn’t have much faith in the small, speedy center last season, and it resulted in him spending a majority of the season in Providence. The predominant cause for this boiled down to the fact that Spooner did not play the style of game that Julien demands from his centers. Responsible defensive play matched with hard back checking every shift was not something Spooner was known for. While he may not have fit this mold in his previous stints with the Bruins, this year has been different.

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Spooner has suited up for all 53 of the Bruins’ games so far this season, making him one of only three players to do so this year (Patrice Bergeron and Loui Eriksson being the only other two). While the absence of Chris Kelly has helped Spooner to solidify his role in the lineup this season, his improved play has been a huge factor. While he is still far from being the elite defensive force that Bergeron is, Spooner has been using his great speed to make a difference on the back check, and more notably, on the power play. Spooner’s work on the first power-play unit has showcased what an effective playmaker he can be, especially when playing with less defensive responsibility on his shoulders. He has put more effort into his defensive game, and has become a much more responsible player. Although he has made good progress, he still sports a -8 rating this season suggesting that there is certainly more room for improvement.

When Krejci went down at the end of December, it presented Spooner with his best opportunity of his short career, and he seized the opportunity. During Krejci’s ten game IR stint, Spooner slid into the second line and put up 12 points, including 3 multi-point efforts. The performance served to show the sort of potential Spooner has when playing bigger minutes with more skilled players. In spite of this, he struggled to match up with better center men, going 37.5 percent at the dot, and posting an even plus/minus over the ten game span despite scoring over a point per game. Typically, an even rating wouldn’t be an issue, but managing that while scoring at such a high pace is problematic. The mixing of these factors lead to the question, how is Ryan Spooner best utilized going forward?

Spooner has shown more than just a few flashes of brilliance, he has shown that he has serious offensive talent and great vision and passing skills. His efforts and improvements have given Coach Julien no choice but to give him a permanent spot in the line-up. The problem is that Spooner has shown he certainly has top six offensive skill, but he clearly doesn’t have the defensive prowess to match up favorably with other top centers, meaning he isn’t likely to put Krejci or Bergeron out of a job any time soon.

With the deadline approaching, and a trade including Loui Eriksson seeming imminent, Spooner could be the best options to replace his production on the second line, Moving to the wing would alleviate some of the defensive responsibility that comes with being a center in Julien’s system, allowing Spooner to focus more on producing offensively, which is where he has the potential to make the biggest impact. Moving him to a permanent slot in the top six will also see him playing and developing chemistry with notably more skilled and talented line mates. This move could see a boost to what is already a borderline breakout campaign with career highs in just about every category, including great success in shootouts this year, and a pace for about 60 points.

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While Julien did attempt to play Spooner on the second line wing, the results for the team were less than stellar. While Krejci’s line played well, the third line was all but useless with Kemppainen centering. The line was continually flat, and it resulted in a trip back to the baby Bs for the Finnish center. The line without Spooner hasn’t been able to be effective. Julien also admitted that as of now Spooner is a center man, and that he just likes to keep things fresh. Though this does not mean that things can’t change in the future.

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The future of Chris Kelly in Boston also plays an interesting role on where Ryan Spooner finds himself skating going forward. Should Kelly be resigned and return to his typical form, it would allow Spooner to move up and give the second line more skill while leaving them with a third line centered by one of the most reliable bottom six centers. The Bruins would benefit from having Spooner in the top six, but unless another solid option for a third line center surfaces, it seems Spooner is mired in the bottom six.

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