Bruins Top 25 Under 25: #22 Jordan Caron

Position: RW

Vitals: 6'3'', 201 lbs

Acquired: Drafted by Boston #25 overall in 2009

Current Team: Boston Bruins

Of all the players in our Top 25 Under 25 list, there's likely none more divisive than young Jordan Caron. He is the senior member of this list both in time spent in the organization and NHL experience AND YET we don't really know what to make of him.

Admittedly, I have not talked to my fellow writers, but it would seem there are three camps on Caron:

1. Let's give him a legitimate run and see what he can do. Despite being a first round pick, Caron's never managed to play 50 games in a season at the NHL level. Detractors (myself included) would say he hasn't shown anything that makes that a bad thing, but he has some in his corner, as evident by those two top 15 picks.
2. He's an NHL caliber player, but not much more. I wouldn't say Caron is an especially impactful player.  Since entering the NHL in 2010, he's 267th in goals per 60 minutes and 286th in points per 60 minutes. That's certainly nothing to brag about, but it's also not meaningless. Caron could be a legitimate fourth line player, and has the numbers to merit that kind of roster spot - but don't expect anything extra.
3. He's had his chance and he hasn't been impressive. Nearly half of the writers left him off their lists and he barely made another. He fell 14 spots in the matter of 12 months. The fact of the matter is he's been a part of this team for four years and he's yet to make an impact or even stay in the lineup. With the influx of young talent into the prospect system thanks to solid drafts since Caron's arrival, he's fallen down the pecking order. If you got to play Claude Julien, would Caron be in your top 12?

This is a pretty big year for Caron. He's on his third NHL contract and his second one year deal. Unlike most players, his cap hit has gone down with each deal. That doesn't exactly exude confidence in his play nor his future with the team.