Bruins' 7th Man Prediction
The 7th man is an award given out by the Boston Bruins to the player that has exceeded all expectations for the season. You most likely won't see players like David Krecji and Patrice Bergeron winning the award since they've already established themselves as consistent and efficient players in the NHL. The award is typically given to first or second year players or players that have had career seasons. The award started in the 60's with Ed Westfall winning the first one in 1968. It has been awarded to one player every year since then. The rules of the NHL are that only 6 players may be on the ice at one time for either team so the 7th man award represents a player that has given the team an extra boost that season, almost like having a 7th man on the ice. I've gathered 3 players that I believe are in the front running for the award this years award. 3rd line center Ryan Spooner, 3rd line left winger Frank Vatrano, and rookie defenseman Brandon Carlo. All 3 players have had great years and taken full advantage of the opportunities they've been given this season.
Ryan Spooner. The curious case of Ryan Spooner. Statistically Spooner hasn't had his best year with the Bruins but since the coaching change from Julien to Cassidy he has been on fire. 2 spooner quotes were released yesterday from an interview about his relationship with ex Bruins coach Claude Julien and they were the complete opposite of one another, and one of them backs a theory I have about Spooners early season struggles. Spooner was quoted as saying "I think coach Julien wanted me to be the best player I could be". Seems like a pretty standard athlete quote, where no matter what was going, or how bad the coaching was, or how clear the problems were, they wouldn't say anything bad and dance around insulting anything or anyone. Now there were clearly problems early on in the season not only with Spooner, but with the Bruins as a team and some changes definitely needed to be made, and they were. So that first quote makes it looks like things aren't that bad and it's just spooner is in a slump and maybe hasn't fully adjusted to NHL play yet. But the 2nd quote is what really peaked my interest and ultimately drives home my theory of Spooners struggles being more related to coaching issues rather then actual play. The second quote about his former coach was surprising and that quote was "I just don't think he liked me as a player". Now the gears are starting to turn. Spooner played on the 2nd line with David Backes and David Krecji for most of the year under Julien and I don't think he was quite ready to play with such experienced veterans with such great hockey minds. But despite struggles he remained on that line and was decent and excellent in overtime periods but definitely did not meet his full potential or the teams expectations. For that reason I think he was screwed out of the 7th man but there's definitely still a lot of potential for him to win it because of his play recently. He's been on fire the past 8 games since Bruce Cassidy took over the head coach spot and shuffled the lines up. Spooner is now on the 3rd line with Frank Vatrano and Jimmy Hayes and has fit right. His chemistry with Vatrano is fantastic and we've even some more life to the struggling Jimmy Hayes's play. I have spooner in the 3 spot for my top 3 players that I think are most likely to win the award.
Now onto the young stud rookie defenseman Brandon Carlo. Brando Carlo was drafted by the Bruins this year and so far the ownership has fallen in love with the kid, and for good reason. Carlo has fully stepped up to the tasks the bruins have given him in his rookie season and has earned all the ice time he gets. He's been paired with veteran, and Bruins captain, Zedeno Chara for most of the season, excluding a few games due to injuries and what not, and has had a chance to pick his brain all year and learn all his secrets and tricks to being a shutdown defender. Carlo's a fantastic defensive minded defender and took little to no time to adjust to play in the NHL. The Bruins announced early in the season that they would not be trading Carlo after multiple teams approached Boston trying to acquire the young defenseman, this further showed just how much Carlo was loved by the coaching staff and owners. Carlo has 5 goals 4 assists and 14 points this season which is all less then had last year playing for the Tri-State Americans but I believe that's because he was more offensive minded in the minors trying to get noticed. He has 86 blocked shots this year and averages 21:18 minutes of ice time which is pretty high for a rookie but he's done great so far and has excellent stamina and durability. He's also not afraid to defend his teammates and plays a physical game. Carlo's definitely exceeded expectations this year and is a great candidate for the 7th man award this year.
The 3rd and final player in my top 3 is who I believe is going to earn the 7th man this year and that player is Frank Vatrano. Vatrano has done nothing but improve this season compared to last year. Vatrano scored 10 goals has 6 assists and has tallied 16 points this year which are all more then he had last year and the seasons still not over. He's also averaging 3 more minutes of ice time per game then he did last year and has a -2 +/- which is also one better then last season. Vatrano also only has 6 penalty minutes this year which is incredible and also, you guessed it, an improvement from his 14 minutes he had last year. Vatrano has been playing on the third line with Jimmy Hayes and Ryan Spooner and they have all had great chemistry since the lines were scrambled by Bruce Cassidy. Vatrano has more then stepped up this year for the Bruins and is easily the most improved player on the team compared to last season. He's shown hustle and heart and has fully taken advantage of every second of ice time he's been given this season and has managed to stay consistent the whole year despite the line issues earlier in the season. Vatrano is my favorite to win the 7th man this year and I'd be very surprised if he doesn't win after everything he's displayed this season. There are a few other honorable mentions such as Dominic Moore who's been great on the penalty kill but he's not new to the league and is known for his penalty killing abilities, however some players struggle in their first year with a new team but he hasn't missed a beat. In that same category of new players doing well is David Backes who's certainly got some time in the league but has played very well for his new team after leaving St. Louis where he was captain. The 7th man is one of my favorite awards because it shows the dedication the winner has for the Bruins and his skills as a hockey player. No matter who wins it this year the effort hasn't gone unnoticed by both the fans and management and every players want to win and never give up has defined this Bruins team for almost 2 decades and that, is more then appreciated.
