Joe Haggerty and Evan Marinofsky take a closer look at another Bruins prospect who is earning NHL ice time. Could he stick around once players return from the IR? Or is there more than meets the eye?
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00:00 But Wotherspoon, I agree with you. I think he's been very good.
00:06 He's obviously not dazzling. He's obviously not going to catch your eye with anything he's doing with the puck or anything he's doing offensively.
00:14 But he's been extremely steady. He plays physical. He blocks shots. He will clear bodies in front. He will stick up for his teammates.
00:23 He will do little things that are going to get you more work in the NHL as a defenseman because he doesn't hurt his team.
00:33 And he makes good plays and he's kind of a good, well-rounded defenseman. Averaging 17 minutes a night, he's been a plus player.
00:42 Everything that you want out of a bottom-pairing defenseman. And I actually think it's interesting with him.
00:49 I think he's gotten to a point that he's played so well. I think he's played like 17 games now or something like that. 15, 16 games. He's somewhere in there.
00:57 I think he's gotten to a point where if they try to send him down to Providence, another team is probably going to take him.
01:04 Or maybe that's the real danger of somebody else taking him where he may have played himself into a role with this team for the rest of the year
01:12 based on the way that he's played and based on what he brings value-wise depth to the team, where he's going to stick around.
01:21 And he's going to be a part of what they're doing. And he kind of helps make some decisions that maybe need to be made or they were thinking about making anyway.
01:30 As far as the defenseman they have. As far as trading away a defenseman. As far as everything.
01:36 I think he's not the biggest factor, but I think he's a factor in all that now because he really brings value to this team.
01:43 And I think it's worth noting now. When he was up for a few games, you're like, "Oh, all right. Call it from the AHL. He's playing okay. Great."
01:50 He's gotten to the point where he's starting to push his way into the picture of thinking about being on this team and being a part of this group.
01:57 And I think it's a credit to the way that he's played.
01:59 I mean, again, I just wrote this down. Like, they're D pairings, right? Like right now, it's been like Grislyk or Lowry with McAvoy.
02:07 Let's say they're fully healthy, right? Let's say Carlo and Forbert are back. It's the playoffs. Somehow they're all 100% healthy, which obviously is not realistic because that never happens.
02:17 But, you know, let's just say Grislyk or Lowry with McAvoy, Lindholm, Carlo, Forbert, Chattenkirk.
02:23 Does Wotherspoon work his way in to play with Forbert? Does Wotherspoon just pencil in as the 7th D?
02:30 You know, again, do you put him out there instead of Chattenkirk? You know, is Grislyk a part of that equation? Is Lowry like…
02:38 But I think at the very least, he's the 7th defenseman because he's reliable. And I think… And he's steady.
02:44 And I think when the playoffs come around, guys get hurt. And I think you're going to need a guy like Wotherspoon to come in and eat minutes and play good defense.
02:53 And so far, he's shown that he can, you know. And I don't think he needs to be anything more than that. If that's all he is, perfect. Perfect.
03:02 You know, not every guy that comes up from Providence has to be, you know, "Oh, the ceiling is incredible."
03:08 Or, "He could be the potential." And it's like, no. If that's all he is, and he continues to progress as a good, steady, bottom-pairing defenseman, great. It's fine.
03:18 I mean, that's basically what Connor Clifton did. He did the same sort of thing where he came on and just stuck and kept playing pretty good hockey and ended up getting better and better and more…
03:28 A more important part of the team and sort of adding facets to his game and, like, the physicality really started to come on.
03:34 And some of the other stuff, too, as he got more comfortable at the NHL level. And I think Wotherspoon is doing that same thing where he's pushing his way into the picture and pushing his way into, like, their plans.
03:45 And he's 26. He's been in the NHL for a few years. So it's not like he needs to go down in Providence and play.
03:51 He's not this young prospect where you need to get him playing time and you're worried about him being a 7thie at times up here.
03:59 I don't think that's an issue. I think he'd be totally fine playing in that kind of role.
04:04 He's become enough of a veteran, a pro hockey player, that that could be his niche, at least until something shakes out and he's able to push his way into the bottom six.
04:14 But I just… It was, I think, time to acknowledge that he's done a really good job and he's kind of earned a spot on this team with the way that he's played.
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04:39 The one thing I think we can talk about too is McAvoy. Going back to him, we talked about the minutes that he played on the road trip.
04:52 But I think bigger picture, I was kind of hard on him in November and December, rightfully so. I think he struggled a lot.
05:00 He was a minus player big time in both of those months. I think he had his problems, especially right after Thanksgiving.
05:07 When they had that losing streak right around Thanksgiving, where they gave up 17 goals and they lost three in a row, he was bad.
05:13 He was not a good player in those games. And I think he was a minus for like six games in a row.
05:19 But he's pulled out of it. He's back in the positive now. He had a great game at the end of the road trip.
05:26 I think he really stepped up when they needed him to when Carlo went out on that road trip and played great hockey.
05:33 And he's really sort of turned his game around to a better level.
05:38 And I've noticed lately, too, he's getting a lot more aggressive offensively, which is good.
05:42 And I think maybe as a sign of his overall comfort level with his game, maybe as a sign he's a little more confident and everything that's going on around him as far as the way his teammates are playing.
05:54 And he feels a little freer to step up into a bigger offensive role and take risks at times.
06:00 But I've really noticed in the last month or so that he's been playing his best hockey of the season.
06:07 And it really is translated into success for the Bruins.
06:11 It has. I agree with you. We almost scored again on Monday, hit the post and then missed his rebound.
06:16 Classic defenseman like getting a scoring chance you never think you're ever going to get.
06:21 Like, oh, what do I do with the puck right here? I'm a Martian, by the way, hitting the post on the empty net.
06:27 Oh, my God. He missed two straight. Right.
06:30 I know. And then he had Martian also at a one timer that I think McAvoy might have passed it to him earlier in the game that he just had an open net.
06:39 Yeah. He decided that. Yes. That's going to be a terrible feeling.
06:43 I thought the goalie saved it. And then I was like, nope, he hit the side of the net.
06:47 He just missed. He just missed. I agree with you. McAvoy's look better.
06:51 I mean, ever since that suspension, Eggman Larson, the physicality wasn't there really afterwards.
06:56 And I think his game took a hit because of it. And you nailed it.
06:59 I mean, I think the confidence looks like it's there offensively. He's joining the rush at better times.
07:06 He's more active in the ozone and then just in his own zone. I think he's just been better defensively.
07:12 Now, I also think that comes with, you know, we played a little bit with Lowry earlier in the season.
07:16 And I think those two acclimating together, you also look at like in the past, Grzegorz McAvoy had been a pretty solid five on five pairing this year.
07:25 That has not been as much the case. So, again, I don't you know, he needs to be top dog on whatever pair he's on.
07:32 Right. Like it shouldn't it shouldn't matter so much who's playing with him.
07:35 I mean, that does factor in obviously factor meals. It does factor in.
07:41 But he should be the top dog in his pair. And I think he's been top dog for like the last month in terms of how he's been playing and just overall confidence and things like that.
07:51 And I think that's a good sign. Now, you don't want to ride him so hard now and have him again burn out for the playoffs.
07:58 But I think as a top defense in the NHL making his money like that's kind of par for the course.
08:05 You're playing those minutes. You're playing in every situation. Really not many nights off like that comes with the territory of being a top five defenseman in the NHL.
08:17 You know, like that's that comes with the territory. If they're going to win a cup, if they're going to go, you know, if they're going to make a push this year and in future years, you're going to need him playing like this.
08:26 So I think it's encouraging that he's been doing that. Yeah. And he's been there in January, November, December.
08:32 Not great months for him. November, really not. December was a little better. January, I think he's right back to where he should be.
08:39 He needs to be in, you know, like you said, frankly, based on the contract and his profile and all that stuff.
08:45 Play more like a Norris Trophy winning defenseman this month than he was, I think, the previous couple of months before.
08:52 So that that's been a positive for the Bruins.
08:54 [MUSIC]