Spooner has one-year left on his deal that carries a $4.0M cap-hit. The 27-year-old had a tough 2019 season, bouncing from the Rangers, to the Oilers to the Canucks and finishing with just three goals and six assists (nine points) in 52 games.
Spooner is dealing with an undisclosed injury and will be held out of Wednesday’s game vs. the Maple Leafs. With Spooner out, Tanner Pearson will move up to the Canucks top line to skate with Bo Horvat.
Spooner was traded to Vancouver on Saturday afternoon and was in the AHL at the time, so he will need to be called-up from the AHL to join the Canucks. Vancouver moved Jake Virtanen to IR to make room.
Spooner has been with Bakersfield lately, scoring two goals with four assists (six points) in seven games. The 27-year-old heads to his third team of the season with three goals and two assists (five points) in 41 shots between the Rangers and Oilers this season.
Despite clearing waivers on Tuesday, Spooner remained in the Oilers’ lineup. He heads to the AHL for the first time since 2014-15 (with Providence) after scoring just two goals and one assist in 25 games with the Oilers.
Spooner has been terrible since being acquired for Ryan Strome, scoring just two goals with one assist in 24 games. Despite clearing waivers this afternoon, Spooner will stay with the team and skate on the third line with Colby Cave and Kailer Yamamoto.
Spooner was scratched from Monday’s lineup due to an illness but will be back in the Oilers’ bottom-6 on Wednesday. Spooner has struggled during his time in Edmonton, picking up just one goal while averaging 11:25 TOI/gm in his first eight games.
Spooner missed the Oilers morning skate and is officially listed as a game-time decision in Dallas. If Spooner can’t play, look for Patrick Russell to draw into the lineup. Spooner has just one goal on 10 shots and a minus-5 rating in eight games since being acquired by the Oilers.
Spooner signed a two-year deal with the Rangers this offseason, that carries a $4.0M cap-hit. The Rangers will be retaining $900K. Spooner has terrible possession numbers, posting a 39.4 CorsiFor% and -7.1 CF% rel and has picked up just two points (1G / 1A) in 16 games this season. Spooner will likely slide into the Oilers bottom-6, where Strome was.
Spooner had a breakout campaign in 2015-16, collecting 13 goals and 36 assists (49 points) in 80 games but has struggled since then, especially in 2017-18. The 26-year-old will look to get his career back on track in New York after picking up just 25 points (9G / 16A) in 39 games with the Bruins this season. He could make his Rangers debut on Sunday.
The Bruins will host the Jets tonight but they could be without some key forwards including Spooner, who is officially listed as questionable for tonight’s contest. Monitor his status when the Bruins hit the ice for pre-game warmups at 6:30 pm ET.
Spooner will miss his fourth consecutive game with a lower-body injury despite being activated from IR this afternoon.
Spooner simply can’t stay healthy this season as he’s only appeared in 10 games and will likely land back on IR after suffering another injury on Monday. Jake DeBrusk will take Spooner’s spot in the lineup on Thursday.