You might want to go back and re-watch that goal.... Spooner got his stick lifted by the defender and was off balance, and the puck just happened to deflect off of him. He didn't lift the defender's stick, and he didn't tip the puck. He went to the front of the net and got a lucky bounce. I'm okay with that!
Here's a sweet gif:
That being said, I like Spooner. I think he's a skill player, and to be honest, we need more of those. Most Bruins fans are looking for 12 David Backes on the ice at all times... that's not going to happen, nor would that be a good way to build a team. Hockey is turning more into a skill game, so the typical "Bruins mold" has to be broken. We need more skill players. (Pastrnak is going to be the best player on this team in a couple of years. Better than Bergeron and Marchand.) That being said if we can package Spooner for a good D-man, I wouldn't complain either. I think Vatrano could replace him in the top 6 when he returns.
And you're the advanced stat guy here on the boards aren't you? Personally I don't care for them much, but if you compare C Miller to Morrow, C Miller wins in almost every stat category. So there is evidence to show that C Miller is better than Morrow. You can just watch the games too. That's usually how I like to form my opinions. From watching the games I'd say it's pretty clear that C Miller has a lot more skill than Morrow does.
- mixturebill
Morrow though 5 games has the best Corsi and CorsiRel of all Bruins defenders. Fourth on the team overall below Bergy, Marchand and pasta. (C. Miller is right below him with 15 games played.). Not a whole lot to go by with those few games played but there it is.
I don't have solid opinions one way or the other on almost any of these young guys right now, just don't think we have seen enough of any of them to really know.
With certain players you can see what they are a "plus" player in. Spooner has a bunch of plus abilities (speed, skill, pass, and his best attribute offensive vision). When I look at many of the other second to four line players, there is a drastic drop off of most "plus" type abilities.
Krejci has plus pass, offensive vision, defensive IQ, and defensive abilities. Beleskey is a plus at hitting and heart (he goes 125% nonstop).
Most of these other guys seem to be blah to me. So that's why a spooner would stick out. I just don't understand the hate for any particular younger player right now. Play the hell out of all of them and see what happens.
