Kalman: Ryan Spooner, Bobby Robins Give Bruins Mix Of Old And New Schools
BOSTON (CBS) -- There's no telling which way the Bruins would've gone with the final spots on their opening night roster had veteran center Gregory Campbell not missed all of training camp and the exhibition schedule with a core injury.
But in Campbell's absence, the Bruins are able to retain the services of both 22-year-old speedy center Ryan Spooner and 32-year-old energy player Bobby Robins to start the season.
Campbell's injury probably forces the Bruins to put both Spooner and Robins into the lineup against the Philadelphia Flyers on opening night Wednesday at TD Garden. Center David Krejci's injury might even cause the Bruins to go with one of their waived forwards, Jordan Caron or Craig Cunningham, against the Flyers.
So for the short term, we won't know what the Bruins' exact thinking about their lineup is until they consistently roll out the same players night in and night out and also have some extras to choose from. Whether they're looking for Spooner's speed or Robins' physicality on a regular basis will be determined at a later date.
For now, general manager Peter Chiarelli is publicly pulling back on the comments he made last summer about fourth lines trending in a different direction – as in his reasoning for letting Shawn Thornton leave.
"But as far as the trend that fighting is disappearing. I know I made a comment at the end of the year about that trend and now the speed of that trend, or when that actually happens, I don't know. It might be past my time," the GM said Tuesday during a press conference. "But it's a hard game to play and you need those players that can finish checks and fend for themselves. And he's all along, right through this camp, he's showed that he's belonged. And it's a good story."
Coach Claude Julien is also looking at Robins as sort of a slightly younger Thornton, with just enough skill to make it worth keeping him around for the punching and crunching.
"He's a guy that in preseason games has given our team some energy," Julien said. "And he's shown that he can still play. He made some good plays, his hands aren't bad and he finishes all his checks. And we talk about being a team that's hard to play against and want to be a bit more of a physical team, I think he fits that mold really well. So I don't want people thinking that the only reason he's here is because he's not afraid to drop the gloves. I think there's a lot more to him. And the part I haven't talked about either is the fact that he's a great individual and is very well liked in our dressing room."
Robins had five goals and 221 penalty minutes last season in the American Hockey League. He had four goals and 316 penalty minutes the season before. Although he might wind up battling Spooner for a spot on the roster, he is clearly not pursuing the same job. Spooner had 46 and 57 points last season and the season before, respectively, for the Providence farm club. He's a playmaker that does his best work when he gets his feet moving into the open ice. He's also a work-in-progress when it comes to playing without the puck, a fact that landed him down with the P-Bruins last week when the Bruins wanted to get down to a more manageable roster number for practices.
Spooner, though, got called back up to fill in the lineup in a game against the New York Islanders played on AHL ice in Bridgeport, Conn. He scored twice and earned a spot in the game the next night at the Garden. Now he's on the opening night roster.
Lest anyone believe Julien doesn't appreciate Spooner, the coach wanted to clear that matter up Tuesday.
"We like him a lot. I don't want people to get confused with him being in Providence thinking 'ah, they have no time for him.' He's an exciting player, he's got good speed, he's got a lot of things," Julien said. "But we all know that in this league, if you're a liability, it's hard for any coach in this league to be able to have confidence in putting him on the ice. And sometimes you have to learn your trade in the minors when you don't get it. So right now, I think he's got it. How much he can have of it and if he can hold onto it, we're going to have a great player. He has great potential. But again, it's really there comes a time when it's in his court and he's got to take advantage of it and we're giving him that opportunity right now."
Depending on Krejci's and Campbell's recoveries, the Bruins will have to make a decision about Spooner and Robins. For now, they get the best of both worlds.
Matt Kalman covers the Bruins for CBSBoston.com and also contributes to NHL.com and several other media outlets. Follow him on Twitter @TheBruinsBlog.
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