By Andrew Thompson Twitter: @Godwentwhoops
As Boston Bruins fans, we take to social media to see if anything big is going on with our team. (Mostly we lament on how it isn’t October yet.) During the summer, there isn’t much going on. While news seems to trickle, there have been a couple of rumors regarding the Bruins that are still on a lot of people’s minds.
David Pastrnak #88 of the Boston Bruins in Game Two of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Canadian Tire Centre on April 15, 2017 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images)
David Pastrnak could be traded. Any self-respecting hockey writer (especially in the Boston area) shouldn’t write an article on how Pastrnak is going to play for another team next year. At best it’s click-bait, at worst it’s a cry for help.
I said it three months ago, and I’ll say it again. The odds of the Boston Bruins walking away from David Pastrnak are the same as Jeremy Jacobs scoring a goal for the Black and Gold this year.
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney flat-out stated that the Bruins will not be trading him. Still, this rumor still refuses to go away.
Pastrnak’s brother Bruins fully believe he’ll be in the Black and Gold next season. Several of the Boston Bruins were on the golf course helping out former B’s forward Shawn Thornton with his annual Putts & Punches for Parkinson’s tournament. When asked about the whole Pastrnak situation, several Bruins offered their opinion on the matter.
“I’m sure they can get this worked out,” said B’s goaltender Tuukka Rask to the Boston Herald. “That’s the game nowadays: These young guys, when they come out of their first contract, they’ve had great success and they want to get paid. That’s just the world we live in. I guess sometimes with the cap situations, it can put teams in a tough spot. But I’m sure they can figure it out.
“He’s proven he can be top goal scorer in the league and he wants to get paid. You can understand both sides of it. I have no idea what he’s asking, what the situation is. But I’m sure they’re going to find a solution at some point.”
Ryan Spooner #51 of the Boston Bruins skates against the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena on January 18, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan.
(Jan. 17, 2017 – Source: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images North America)
Ryan Spooner is being moved to (insert city name here). This one isn’t as bad as the Pastrnak rumor. There has been a lot of talk about Ryan Spooner in recent weeks. Speculation has placed him in half a dozen different teams, and most of the arguments have made sense.
Spooner did have a ten-point backslide over his previous season with the Black and Gold. Still, the Bruins had multiple avenues to move him over the last few seasons. Other teams were interested, and if the B’s really had a low opinion of Spooner’s long-term value, they would have shipped him off somewhere else by now.
The Bruins had another opportunity to part ways with Spooner when he filed for arbitration. But the B’s still believe in Spooner enough to sign him to a one-year, $2.825 million dollar deal.
“We are pleased with the process and are happy to have Ryan’s contract resolved. 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,” said GM Don Sweeney. “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.”
Could the B’s move him eventually? Sure, but there are a few caveats involved. It would partially depend on how well Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson does in training camp. Then, they’d have to factor in what kind of off-season training has Spooner done to make himself better. The B’s would also need to factor in Spooner’s ability to play on the wing.
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