Chris Kelly Activated, Ryan Spooner Sent Back To AHL Providence
BOSTON (CBS) -- Ryan Spooner proved he's capable of playing at the NHL level in his recent stint with the Bruins, but with Chris Kelly's return to the lineup, it's back to the minors for Spooner.
The Bruins sent Spooner, along with defenseman Zach Trotman, to the AHL Providence Bruins on Tuesday afternoon.
The move comes due to the return of Kelly, who's been out since early December with a broken fibula. He was activated from injured reserve on Tuesday and will be eligible to play Tuesday night against the Panthers.
Spooner, 21, registered 11 assists in his 21 games with the big club.
Kelly, 33, had three goals and four assists in his 23 games before suffering the injury against the Penguins. He posted a career-high 39 points in the 2011-12 season but posted just 3-6-9 totals in the shortened season last year, a number that would extrapolate to 15 points in a full season.
Kelly suffered his injury during the infamous Saturday night game against the Penguins, when Shawn Thornton sent Brooks Orpik off the ice on a stretcher. Later in that game, Kelly and Pascal Dupuis exchanged slashes near the blue line. Kelly played the rest of the game, but a broken fibula was discovered afterwards.