October 5th, 2014
by Dakota Antelman
by Dakota Antelman
When Bruins training camp began last month, Jordan Caron carried himself as professionally as any of the Bruins more veteran players. Unlike many of the other rookies he was fighting with for a spot in Boston, Caron was linked to players like Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara in the sense that he was no hockey newcomer.
Over the course of a roller coaster 5 years, this 6 foot tall skill forward has done and seen it all.
He was drafted 25th overall by the Bruins back in 2009. Fresh off a point per game season in the QMJHL, Caron was seen as a strong right wing that could be used by the team to fill the void of a recently traded Phil Kessell. His speed was within the top ten at the NHL combine that year.
Nevertheless, he was sent back down to junior hockey for the 2009-2010 season where he scored 17 goals and 33 points in 23 games. Those numbers were enough to impress the Bruins front office who brought him into Boston for the 2010-2011 training camp. There he played well but was ultimately beaten out by second overall pick Tyler Seguin for one of the forward spots that were in short supply that year.
As Seguin scored double digit goals as a rookie, Caron trundled around in Providence. He played 47 games with Boston’s AHL affiliate and solidified his role as Boston’s 13th forward. Furthermore, even though he did not win starting duties at the beginning of the year, Caron actually made it to Boston for 23 games in his first professional season. He scored 3 goals with the big club mustering relentless shots on goal and helping set up line mates Chris Kelly and Blake Wheeler for 7 goals.
And that is pretty much the story of what the next 3 years were for Caron.
He bounced between Boston and Providence starting 123 NHL games through last season. He scored 12 times. Each year he tried and failed to edge out a Bruins starting attacker, each season resigning to the emotionally taxing position of 13th forward.
All this occurred in brutal repetition until this year’s training camp rolled around.
By now a 4 year veteran of the league, Caron came in with the clock on his career ticking. 5 years after being drafted, having played 4 partial seasons in the NHL, Caron and the Bruins organization understood that very soon it will become clear if he is destined for NHL residency or AHL infinity.
Though he has worked hard and raised no questions in regards to personality makeup, Caron has, for one reason or another been incapable of impressing the Bruins coaches and front office. But was this season the year that changed?
"Every year he seems to have to come in here and battle for a spot and that's what he's doing again this year and he knows that," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "He's fared well [in camp]. I see a guy who has worked hard to come to camp in the best shape ever. He's in tremendous shape and he's working hard. He's really focusing on skating, creating things. Just like everybody else we've talked about so far, we've got to allow him to play in some preseason games, evaluate him and make those decisions before the season starts."
Caron skated alongside Daniel Pallie and Carl Soderberg during the preseason and seemed to eliminate some of the small technique issues that were prevalent in his first few camps.
"It's pretty good so far," Caron said. "I had a good game in Montreal and it was the first real test. I felt pretty good. I felt like I was moving well and if I could've scored a couple of goals during the game it would've been better. But I'm feeling confident."
Yet as with many other times in his career, he has made mistakes, missed puck battles deep in corners and failed to capitalize on huge opportunities.
"It's been tough. There have been some good times, and some tougher ones. It's tough. It's hard not to have a spot you can play a certain role and know if you make a mistake you're still going to have that shot the next game. It's been hard, but it's part of the process. I'm not a young guy coming in and now it's time for me to establish myself and prove I belong here and that I can play on a regular basis in the NHL."
It was time; that much was clear. But what was also beginning to become clear is the fact that his place in Boston’s future was shrinking.
When a team drafts a player, no matter where in the draft rank they do so, they expect that player to at least be showing signs of development and or at least be making statistical progress towards the level of production mandated by the NHL competitive spirit over time.
Caron, though good has not improved since he was drafted. As he stands, he is a good player but without any improvement, he may very well be just one or two notches below what the Bruins want him to be.
Early Saturday morning that was confirmed when, he, along with several other Bruins hopefuls were placed on waivers. As it appears, his place in Boston’s future has done more than shrunk. It seems that that niche has vanished.
But where does he fit in within the rest of the NHL landscape? He is after all a talented player with some, albeit limited, in game experience. Caron has been inserted into many of the Bruins special team crews and also has logged over 20 playoff starts.
"He's a good player, but he's in a tough spot," said teammate, David Krejci. "We can see what he can do in practices, so we know he can play and he can play in all situations -- PK, power play -- so he has some skills.”
Back around the time of the draft in June, Peter Chiarelli reported being contacted by multiple teams interested in Caron. He held on to the player at the time but obviously has since let him go for no return.
Of course, that means he is now available to those teams who wanted him but as of Sunday night he remained unclaimed.
Jordan Caron is a player with a talent on the good side of mediocre. Jordan Caron is a person with a powerful will to win that is unrivaled. Though he admits it has been hard living life as the 13thforward, such work should pay off for him. He deserves a spot on an NHL roster and now that Boston has decided to let him go, it only makes it that much easier for a team with a spot for him to sign him.
"Everything happens for a reason," he said. "I've been lucky to be a part of this organization for four years now. I've been a part of a great group of guys and I wouldn't change that for anything. It's a great city with great fans and I have great teammates, so I wouldn't change it for anything. We'll see what's going to happen in the future. I can't change the past."
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