Ryan Spooner is giving the Boston Bruins much-needed scoring production from the center position in the absence of injured forward David Krejci.
He has scored five goals (two on the power play) with six assists since Krejci exited the lineup after suffering a partially torn MCL in his left knee Feb. 20. Spooner’s latest performance was a two-goal effort in Thursday night’s 6-4 loss to the Ottawa Senators.
Krejci possibly could return for this weekend’s back-to-back against the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. B’s head coach Claude Julien hasn’t ruled out a weekend return, but said Tuesday that it would be the earliest possible return date for the veteran center.
Spooner’s speed, playmaking, excellent shot and power-play ability are valuable skills for a Bruins offense that has averaged 2.84 goals in the 12 games since he was recalled from Providence on Feb. 21. He’s a much more confident player than he was in previous stints with Boston and has shown improvement defensively.
The 23-year-old center deserves to remain in the lineup when Krejci comes back, but finding the best spot for him won’t be easy.
When Krejci re-enters the lineup, there’s no reason to play him on the wing. He’s a top-tier playmaker that creates scoring chances for his linemates and plays a responsible defensive game as a center. Krejci has played primarily with Milan Lucic over the last five years, including the majority of his 5-on-5 ice time this season — 452:32 with, 125:39 without, to be exact.
Lucic has played well on a line with Spooner and Pastrnak, though, and he’s tallied nine points in the last 12 games. Spooner and Pastrnak have helped Lucic by playing an uptempo style — which forces the veteran winger to move his feet and play a straight-line game — and feeding him the puck in scoring positions.
Lucic has proven he can be productive without Krejci, which gives head coach Claude Julien some options. If Spooner does stay in the lineup after Krejci returns, he should play with skilled linemates. Slotting a skilled player such as Spooner on the fourth line wouldn’t put him in a position to maximize his talent.
Here are some possible line combinations for when Krejci returns.
1) In this scenario, Krejci centers Carl Soderberg and Loui Eriksson, while Chris Kelly takes the fourth-line center spot as Gregory Campbell exits the lineup. Soderberg on the wing isn’t ideal, though.
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Reilly Smith
Carl Soderberg-David Krejci-Loui Eriksson
Milan Lucic-Ryan Spooner-David Pastrnak
Daniel Paille-Chris Kelly-Max Talbot
2) If Smith comes out — he hasn’t scored in 11 straight games — and Krejci and Soderberg remain at center, Spooner could replace Smith on the Bergeron line. The only issue with that is the Bergeron line plays against the opponent’s top lines with tough zone starts, and Spooner has been sheltered this season. Eriksson could move up to the Bergeron line on the road when Boston doesn’t have last change and can’t control line matchups.
Spooner has played a little bit on the wing at the NHL and AHL levels, but center is his natural position and the spot where he’s most productive. That said, he’s a better option on the wing than Smith right now.
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Ryan Spooner
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-David Pastrnak
Chris Kelly-Carl Soderberg-Loui Eriksson
Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Max Talbot
The Bruins have a ton of line combinations to consider when Krejci, and eventually Brett Connolly (fractured finger), are healthy enough to play. Regardless of how the lines are formed, Spooner should keep his spot in the lineup. The B’s have too many guys failing to provide scoring consistently — Soderberg and Smith chief among them — for Spooner to take a seat in the press box.
Thumbnail photo via Dennis Wierzbicki/USA TODAY Sports Images
