This year’s Boston Bruins training camp is an important one for Jordan Caron.
The Quebec native hasn’t developed into the type of player the team and fans expected when he was selected with the 25th pick in the 2009 NHL draft. He’s totaled just 28 points (12 goals, 16 assists) in 123 games since the start of the 2010-11 season.
Caron has received a lot of criticism as a result, but so far in camp and the preseason, he’s impressed.
His best showing was in Friday night’s 5-4 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals. Caron recorded two assists — both set up Seth Griffith goals — and played the type of physical hockey expected of a forward who’s 6-foot-3 and 204 pounds.
His first assist came after he stole the puck from Capitals defenseman Matt Niskanen, then skated toward the net and fired a perfect cross-crease pass to Griffith.
“He played well; I thought he had a real strong game tonight,” Claude Julien told reporters after the game, via the Bruins’ website. “There’s no doubt he’s fighting for a spot and he wants to show us he belongs here, and if he plays like that he’s got a real good chance of sticking.
“He’s skating well, he’s finishing his checks, he’s creating things, and I think Jordan is capable of doing that. We’d like to see him continue to do that, and if he does, like I said, it’s gives him a great opportunity to stick.”
If Caron continues to play well over the next few weeks, he certainly could earn a job on the Bruins’ fourth line. The 23-year-old forward is a good fit at right wing, where he’d provide toughness, size and more playmaking/goal-scoring skill than Shawn Thornton, who occupied that spot over the last few years until his offseason departure. Caron’s $600,000 salary cap hit is the lowest among Boston forwards on one-way deals, so he’s a cost-effective option for a team currently over the cap ceiling, per CapGeek.
This could be the last chance for Caron to earn a full-time role with the Bruins, and so far, he’s come into camp and the preseason as a highly motivated player.
“He’s fared well,” Julien said after Friday’s practice at Ristuccia Arena. “I see a guy who’s worked hard to come into camp in the best shape ever. He’s working hard, he’s really focusing on skating and creating things. Like everyone else we’ve talked about so far, we got to let him play in some preseason games and evaluate him, and make those (roster) decisions before the season starts.”
