The big news was supposed to be Ryan Spooner being recalled from the Providence Bruins today and his return to the Boston Bruins’ lineup during this two-game road trip. But as practice commenced he was one of the few noticeable B’s on the ice at an optional practice this afternoon in Wilmington.

With the 2013-14 regular season winding down, the Bruins are looking to rest some guys before the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That was well evident today as Patrice Bergeron, Milan Lucic, David Krejci, Jarome Iginla, Loui Eriksson, and yes, head coach Claude Julien, all took the day off.

It’s expected that Bergeron, Lucic, Krejci, Iginla and Eriksson will join their teammates on this two-game road trip that begins Wednesday night in Detroit. Julien, however, might be the one getting some rest.

A source within the Bruins organization has informed Bruins Daily that Julien will stay home and scout potential playoff opponents. It’s very rare that a coach would be doing this late in the season, but in the best interest of the team, he will be taking some time off, but should return in time for the start of the postseason.

“It’s an unprecedented move, but we feel giving Claude some time off and checking out some action across the National Hockey League is the best thing to do,” the source said. “With a three-point lead over the St. Louis Blues for the best record in the league, and some good distance between us and the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference standings, we feel we have the luxury to give Claude some rest.”

The source also claims that former Bruins bench boss Dave Lewis is the most likely to take Julien’s spot as the interim coach for the last two weeks of the season. Lewis, best remembered for committing bench minors for too many men on a regular basis for the 2006-07 season, is currently an assistant coach with the Carolina Hurricanes.

This is certainly a risky move for the Black and Gold organization, but in the end it may very well be a risk worth taking. We’ll have more on this situation as this develops.

Oh, and if you’re still reading this, happy April Fools Day!