Ryan Spooner’s ‘17-’18 was one of his most productive ever - and it got him shipped out of Boston.

Ryan Spooner - C/RW

After all those years in a state of limbo between top-six forward and healthy scratch depth winger, Ryan Spooner had a sound-if-not-productive start to the season, tallying 11 points in 17 games before New Year 2018 while also missing a month recovering from a groin injury. His most productive season in his career ended with 0.69 points per game (41 points in 59 games), overshadowed only by his highest-totals year (49 in 80, ‘15-’16). He stepped up his game about a half-notch or so, and it was evident that he was playing to stick in the lineup. While his offense was there, he did not wow the Bruins’ brass enough to be indisposable, and Spooner was traded to the New York Rangers in the multi-piece deal that saw Boston gain the services of Rick Nash. In New York, Spooner was given a heftier workload and a new chance to show that he could be a feature player on a team.

SCoC Average Grade: C+

Grading definitely should reflect reputation; though Spooner put together a productive year, it was not far and away a new level of play for him. Boston - media and fans alike - have wondered if he has already hit his ceiling. Were he able to show sustained improvement, the Bruins might have held on to him, but in the end they decided to move on from the development of Ryan Spooner. In limited games and increased average time per game on the Rangers’ roster, it seems as though it was a wise decision, as you can see from his possession stats taking a nosedive with increased responsibility (cue small sample alarm on a team that stripped itself down at the end of the year).

Enjoy some clips of Spooner scoring goals:

And, watch Spooner give a tour of his digs in Providence while with the P-B’s almost six years ago.

Glad that you’ve grown up some since then, Spoons. Good luck in NY and the future!