Report: Bruins Shopping Ryan Spooner For Potential Trade
BOSTON (CBS) -- Ryan Spooner could be on his way out of Boston. After hints from the Bruins front office that Spooner's future in a B's uniform was uncertain, it's now being reported that the former second round pick is being shopped around.
The Hockey News' Ryan Kennedy tweeted on Thursday that the Bruins are "entertaining offers" for Spooner from multiple teams around the league. The New Jersey Devils, Vancouver Canucks, and the expansion Vegas Golden Knights are reportedly among the teams in the running for Spooner.
Spooner, 25, is on track to become a restricted free agent this offseason, but is eligible for salary arbitration. Any team that trades for him would almost certainly extend a qualifying offer to retain his rights, and then subsequently enter arbitration.
Bruins GM Don Sweeney described Spooner's future in Boston as "to be determined" in his end-of-season press conference. President Cam Neely, meanwhile, inferred that Spooner doesn't have enough consistency to stick on the Bruins' roster long-term.
"Ryan's done a great job on the power play, but there's more to the game than just being a specialty player," said Neely. "I think if we could get some help in that regard, it will be beneficial for the team.
"I hope that he realizes that he's not as consistent as he needs to be to have the successful career that he could have with his skill set."
Even head coach Bruce Cassidy has recently been critical of Spooner. He told Toucher & Rich that he didn't like Spooner's offensive game - which is supposed to be his strength - enough to keep him in the lineup in the playoffs this past season. Spooner was a healthy scratch for Games 5 and 6 against the Ottawa Senators.
All signs point to the Bruins eventually making a deal for the 25-year-old. Considering the lack of long-term control on Spooner's contract and his underwhelming performance to this point in his career - 117 points and a minus-15 in 214 games - the Bruins may not be able to net a strong return for him.
