Oilers get full Swiss army knife in Spooner
Escape from New York reunites Edmonton’s versatile new centre with former linemate Lucic
CALGARY — Familiar faces can be reassuring, especially coming into a new environment, so Ryan Spooner is happy to see Milan Lucic again.
And vice versa.
“I had Ryan his first full rookie year in 2014-15 in Boston and we were linemates with (David) Pastrnak … highend skill, a very easy player to play with. He can bring a lot to the table from the offensive side,” said Oilers winger Lucic, who spent a good part of Friday texting with Spooner after he was traded to the Oilers for Ryan Strome.
Spooner, who arrived from New York after the Oilers’ morning skate Saturday, didn’t play with Lucic for his first Battle of Alberta. Instead, he was on left side with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Ty Rattie, rather than centre, as he was with Lucic in Boston. But Lucic was a comforting face as was his old junior teammate Zack Kassian.
Spooner, who couldn’t get anything going with the Rangers in the first six weeks, didn’t bring many points (just two) but lots of clothes. He’s already been alerted by Lucic that the travel out West is somewhat harder than those short hops back east.
Suitcases weren’t supposed to be part of his day when he got up Friday morning.
“My girlfriend and her dad were coming into the city for her birthday (Friday night) and she helped me pack,” said Spooner, who had 16 points in 20 games last season after being part of the Rick Nash Bruins trade, but had stumbled this year and wasn’t one of new coach David Quinn’s regulars.
“I can relate to his tough start statistically this year (two points in 16 games for Spooner), but sometimes that’s when change is a good thing,” said Lucic. “We’ll see how much he’s grown up in years since I played with him … he was playing centre back then with me and Pastrnak. Two pretty good young guys for me to play with. We had about 20 games together at the end of that (2014-15) season and had a good thing going on.”
Spooner, who is wearing the same 23 as he did with Rangers, was drafted as a centre but is a Swiss army knife.
“Right-wing, centre, left … I’ve played them all. In Boston I played the right side with (David) Krejci and (Jake) DeBrusk and this year I’ve played all over, just a couple of games at centre,” said Spooner.
“I kind of got the sense something was going on (possible trade),” he said. “I wasn’t getting points and wasn’t on the power play where I’ve been on every team I’ve been on. I’d be going from second line to fourth line to not playing. I just have to play better, I have to get back in the right frame of mind.”
Oilers coach Todd McLellan acknowledged that “probably both players in this trade need a fresh start. Spooner has shown he has a high hockey IQ, he’s a guy who can run a power play on the half wall and he’s got some quickness to his game and we hope to get him back to a level of confidence where he’s put up points before (this year).”
“Strome’s game evolved … when he wasn’t giving us offence, he became a better defensive player. He became a reliable penalty-killer for us and was able to check in the third-line hole,” said McLellan. “But we always wanted or hoped we’d get more offence out of him.”
Strome was very popular in the Oilers room, none more so than with captain Connor McDavid, who played on the same Erie Otters junior team with Ryan’s brother Dylan, now with Arizona Coyotes.
“It’s not fun to see someone like Stromer go. He was a good friend of everyone, and really, really liked in the room … guys are upset at seeing him go, but it’s a business,” said McDavid.