Heading into today’s arbitration hearing, Ryan Spooner was reportedly looking for a $3.85 million dollar deal. On the other side of this equation, the Bruins were only willing to offer $2 million.
With that kind of gap, it seemed almost certain that this dispute would be settled by an arbitrator, but the two sides have reportedly met somewhere in the middle, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Friedman is reporting that the two sides have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a deal worth $2.825 million.
Update: The Bruins confirmed the signing and financial details.
#NHLBruins sign forward Ryan Spooner to a one-year contract worth $2,825,000: https://t.co/6yND39Tqz8
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) July 26, 2017
Spooner finished last season with 11 goals and 39 points in 78 games. The 25-year-old scored two less goals and 10 less points in 2016-17 than he did the previous year.
There’s no doubt that he has plenty of offensively ability, but consistency in his own end has always been an issue (just ask former head coach Claude Julien).
If Spooner can put it all together this season, he’ll be able to earn a much bigger pay day next summer.