Spooner, B’s settle
One-year deal ends arbitration process
Ryan Spooner didn’t get the salary or term of contract he wanted, but then, neither has he been the player the Bruins want him to be.
As is usually the case with NHL salary arbitration scenarios, the Bruins avoided having to participate in the hearing scheduled for yesterday with their restricted free agent forward. Instead, the team signed the 25-year-old to a one-year deal worth $2.825 million.
Spooner, who earned $1.1 million last season, had filed for 2017-18 at $3.85 million; the Bruins countered with an offer of $2 million.
However, the sides avoided taking the final step to what can be a rancorous and damaging arbitration hearing.
“I don’t think a player wants to sit through that,” Spooner said during a conference call. “It’s not a pleasant thing to go through. I don’t think the team wants to carry that out, either. So we just found the common ground.”
Spooner said he was unsure at season’s end if the B’s would bring him back. The doubt was removed when he was protected in the expansion draft, when he was not traded and when the team made him a restricted free agent contract offer. He said he hoped to get a two- or three-year deal, but the club offered only one.
“I’m going to spin that into a positive and take it as a challenge to have a good year and show that I can be the player they want me (to be),” Spooner said. “They need to see a little bit more out of me.”
The center/left winger had 11 goals and 28 assists in 78 games last season, which was a significant drop from the 13 goals and 36 assists he put up in 2015-16. His greatest strength has been production on the power play. In 2015-16, he totaled 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) with the man advantage; last year he went for 18 (three goals, 15 assists).
Spooner has continued to be a frustratingly soft defensive player, and he was a healthy scratch for Games 5 and 6 of the B’s first-round playoff loss to the Ottawa Senators.
But the Bruins apparently still believe in the 2010 second-round draft pick.
“We are pleased with the process and are happy to have Ryan’s contract resolved,” general manager Don Sweeney said via email. “His agent, Murray Kuntz, and Ryan were both very professional, and our group was well prepared as they had worked very diligently prior to arriving at a settlement point.
“We know Ryan has the offensive skills to be an impactful player, especially while on the power play. We expect Ryan to continue to take the necessary steps with his development to be an even more complete, two-way player.”
Spooner has always been candid about the areas of play he has to improve. The problem is, saying the right things and doing them have been two different matters.
“I think the next step I need to make is that when the offense kind of dries up, I need to be able to be more dependable, a defensive guy,” Spooner said. “That’s what I need to work on. If that’s (adding) strength or (improving) the mental side of the game, that’s for me to figure out and what I’ve been trying to do.
“I’m excited for the season. I think the biggest stride I can take is to show that I can be trusted and bring some more grit to my game. I think if I do that it’s going to help me out as a player and help the team.”