The Boston Bruins are over 50 games into the season and as expected, there have been some notable injuries for extended periods of time so far in 2023-24. Luckily, the team has had some pretty good luck with their call-ups so far this season. Mason Lohrei has been good in stretches on defense and Oskar Steen has played well on the fourth line on the offensive side.
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But maybe the best call-up of the season has been a name not many would have expected before the start of the 2023-24 season. Parker Wotherspoon was signed to a one-year, two-way deal worth $775,000 at the start of free agency last summer. His signing didn’t exactly make huge waves around Boston and he was expected to spend most, if not all, of the season playing with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL).
But, impressive play early earned him a call-up at the start of November after injuries befell the blue line. While he may have gone under the radar with the call-up of Lohrei along with him, Wotherspoon has certainly made a name for himself in Boston so far this season. He’s played in 23 games in 2023-24 and has looked good in all of them.
Wotherspoon’s success this season is another win for Don Sweeney’s 2023 free agency class. Despite having very little cap space, the team managed to sign a number of players who have been incredibly impactful this season. No, they’re not the biggest superstars on the team, but guys like James van Riemsdyk, Morgan Geekie, and Wotherspoon, have all been impactful contributors to the success of the Bruins in 2023-24.
Road to the Bruins
Wotherspoon was selected by the New York Islanders in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. He went in the fourth round at pick number 21. He spent five seasons playing in the Western Hockey League (WHL) for the Tri-City Americans and made his professional debut in the 2015-16 season, the season following his draft, appearing in six games for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in the AHL.
In the 2017-18 season, he fully joined the Sound Tigers and played five full seasons with the team (in 2021-22, they rebranded to the Bridgeport Islanders). His first call-up came in the 2022-23 season, and he made his NHL debut on Dec. 23, 2022. His first point came as an assist on Jan. 3, 2023, in a win against the Vancouver Canucks, his hometown team growing up.
He averaged 13 minutes on ice during his 12 NHL games with the Islanders. He was a plus-5 with one assist. In addition, he had seven blocks and eight hits. But, he was primarily a depth player and never quite worked his way up the chart in the Islanders organization. Signing with the Bruins was a fresh start for him and a chance to see if he’d do better in a different organization and system.
Success in Boston
With big names like Matt Grzelcyk, Brandon Carlo, and Derek Forbort missing time at various points this season, the Bruins needed someone to step up and play some big minutes. Wotherspoon has done just that. In his 23 games in Boston this season, he’s been averaging over 17 minutes of ice time a game, a full four minutes more than what he had in 12 games with the Islanders last season. While he is still a depth player, hovering somewhere in the sixth or seventh spot for the Bruins, he is certainly getting more ice time and opportunities to prove himself this season, and has been stepping up to the occasion.
In addition, Wotherspoon has brought a physicality to the backend, stepping into a role on the blue line that was left empty by the departure of Connor Clifton this offseason. He has 51 hits in 23 games and 43 blocks, well, well above what he had last season. He’s not playing every night, as he’s rotating in on the bottom pairing with Kevin Shattenkirk and Derek Forbort. But when he is in the lineup, there is a certain level of energy that stands out when watching the games.
He’s also gotten the opportunity to log some time on the penalty kill this season, showing more versatility and an ability to be put in anywhere in the game. That is the biggest thing that has been impactful to the Bruins this season: when the team needs him, he’s ready to go. He may not be a consistent, every-night player, but the games he is in, he brings it. Particularly good is his attitude towards the current rotation he’s in.
Wotherspoon has three assists in 23 games this season. He has yet to score his first NHL goal, but hopefully, that will be coming down the stretch. He’s doing a lot of things right, and it feels like only a matter of time before it happens.
Sweeney’s 2023 Free Agency Class
This past offseason was a particularly rough one for the Bruins due to the uncertainty around Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, an arbitration case with Jeremy Swayman, and the team having less than $5 million in cap space going into the summer. Because of that, they had to trade Taylor Hall to make space and let 2023 Trade Deadline additions Tyler Bertuzzi and Dmitry Orlov leave.
As a result, the Bruins’ free agency moves didn’t turn many heads. But in the end, this group has shaped up to be pretty good. James van Riemsdyk has, of course, been the highlight with nine goals and 34 points in 50 games so far, already surpassing the 29 points he had in 61 games last season, while Geekie has nine goals and 24 points in 48 games, and has brought some much-needed depth down the middle.
Wotherspoon may not quite be on the same level as Geekie and van Riemsdyk, but has been a solid defenseman in a limited capacity, and quite honestly, has seen way more action in the NHL than I think anyone expected in 2023-24. He was signed as a depth player, and he has been a great depth piece who can step up on any given night when his name is called upon. For a cap-crunched team like the Bruins, that is all they could have asked for.
Looking Down the Stretch
The Bruins have less than 30 games to go and keeping guys fresh for a playoff run will be of the utmost importance. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Wotherspoon play some more games in the final few months, especially with the team’s run of injuries on the blue line this season. If they can afford to rest some of these guys, then they should put him in the game.
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It will be interesting though to see if Wotherspoon contests for a more solid spot on the roster, and if he puts together an argument to play him in the postseason. He may not quite be there yet, but he’s a guy who has potential. The 26-year-old has stepped up a lot this season, and who knows how much more he has to give. It will be exciting to watch in the final months of the regular season.
