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Yesterday, the Boston Bruins signed former first-round pick
Jordan Caron to a one-year, one-way contract worth $600,000. The contract, as undoubtedly expected, was met with a complete gag to most fans in the Hub. Caron, a restricted free agent and massively underwhelming talent based on his draft spot in 2009 (25th overall), was in essence qualified at the 11th hour and the Black-and-Gold seemed hellbent on finding a trade partner for him rather than signing him.
But in regards to the signing, I’m here to tell you this-- Barring some sort of unforeseen and by all means unlikely breakthrough, Caron will not be the reason why the Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 2015. On the flip-side of that coin, he won’t be the reason why they lose it, either.
Let’s get the ugly stuff out of the way early though. No, Caron has not been the player that the B’s thought they were getting in 2009. Yes, the Bruins would’ve been better off had they drafted
Ryan O’Reilly (33rd overall),
Alex Chiasson (38th overall), or
Jakob Silfverberg (39th overall) instead. And no, I don’t think he’s progressed into the National Hockey League player that the Bruins projected him to, even in this newer role, I don’t think.
But you can’t change that in July 2014. Those are just shoulda, woulda, couldas at this point.
In essence, maybe it’s time to get over the expectations he arrived with and take him for what he is-- a bottom-six depth player you can plug in and out of the lineup in a pinch. Now, that’s obviously easier said than done -- especially when you’re talking about a former first rounder -- but what other choice do you have at this point? Are you going to cut ties with No. 38 completely just because he hasn’t panned out like you had originally intended? That seems like even more of a waste.
And for what it’s worth, I don’t think he’s awful at his role with the club. At least not last year.
In fact, I really thought you saw Caron’s best hockey when he was inserted as a fourth-line fixture for the club in their first-round series against the Detroit Red Wings. He came in hard on the forecheck every shift, and really made the most of his extremely limited ice-time. He was, and I know how this sounds given the love affair Boston has with
Shawn Thornton, without question more effective in that role than the veteran Thornton. Caron has legs, he has a body, and he can use it.
I don’t think that’s ever been the question, either.
Like I’ve said on this blog way too many times since Caron broke into the league, it seems like a confidence issue, and I really don’t know if you can blame him there. For years, he could outplay a member of Merlot (and I definitely think he did at times), but there’s no way in hell he’d thump them out of
Claude Julien’s lineup on a full-time basis. We knew that, and I think by the end, he knew that. Ever been in a situation where you know that you can’t move up no matter how hard you work and what you do over a tenured guy? It’s the worst, and maybe that’s why the 23-year-old approached the B’s at the end of this season and asked if they could explore the possibility of a trade that would allow him to have a fresh start with a new team.
At the same time, however, you could make the case that Caron’s made his bed as an extra body.
This is still a player that managed just one goal and three points in 35 games as the 13th forward for a Presidents’ Trophy winning club. That was his exact stat-line in a lockout-delayed 2012-13 season, too, in which he played 17 games. This year was a painful step back for Caron (at least in terms of his measurable production) and in case you doubt that, the Bruins had
Justin Florek and
Matt Fraser (broken foot and all) play second-round playoff games over Caron.
But again, he’s not the worst option at $600,000. Especially when you look at this year’s changes.
The Bruins’ losses are obviously headlined by
Jarome Iginla’s departure for Colorado, but they also lost
Shawn Thornton, and are expected to throw some of their younger talents -- like a Florek, Fraser, and
Ryan Spooner -- into the NHL mix next year in their place. Together, those three have a combined 58 games of regular season NHL experience (Fraser and Spooner both lead the way with 27 each, while Florek’s played in four games at the NHL level).
Caron, mainly in a role akin to what they may ask of a Florek or Fraser based on the skill on the wings of Boston’s top-six, has 123 contests in a Spoked-B under his belt. He seemingly (and finally) has what Julien loves and will surely be looking for at some point next season -- tenure.
Still, it’s no sure thing that Caron will skate with the B’s when the puck drops on 2014-15.
Now, I think that there’s still legitimate interest in giving Caron a fresh start elsewhere, and I think the organization themselves believe that Florek is a better fit on that fourth line. This is a Boston club in the midst of some major tweaks to their philosophy -- and that’s started with the idea that they’re willing to move
Gregory Campbell to the wing to have
Ryan Spooner center the fourth line -- and Caron could be a simple piece to move out at that price if there’s not a fit.
But in terms of 13th forwards or fourth line wingers for that matter, you’re not going to find many that will be equally as effective in this system (and though many interpret that word differently given Caron’s aforementioned status as a first rounder) for just $600,000 than the Quebec-born Caron.
For me, it’s all about the player and the value. I think Caron’s a better option as your 13th forward over Spooner, a player with skill and speed that absolutely needs to be in this lineup. He’s probably a better option than Fraser, too, who would undoubtedly benefit from a full-time spot on
Carl Soderberg’s wing on the Bruins’ third line. And if you did go with a Fraser or Spooner as your 13th forward, you’d hear nothin’ but grumbling from a fanbase that’s aching for more skill.
If the B’s can’t find a trade partner, or if they step back from their search to find a team willing to take him on, there’s no doubt that Caron will arrive to camp with the expectation of being this club’s 13th forward.
And that’s something that only he, now with some tenure in his pocket, can change.
Ty Anderson has been covering the Boston Bruins for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, is a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com
Boston Bruins Blogger •Bruins Feature Columnist • 
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