I miss Groo.
I think the Droggyn job would have been perfect for his skill set and for his value set. Also, I think they would have believed him when he told them that they couldn't save Fred. Angel would have known him well enough to know that Groo would have felt just as sad about it as Angel.
Also, I think Angel telling Groo about Cordy's death would have been a great scene. And I agree that killing Groo to get into the black thorn would have meant something. Droggyn was a throwaway character. He was human(ish), yes. And a decent enough guy. That made Angel's cold-blooded and calculated murder of him shocking. But that was sort of a cheap thrill. It would have been more of a sacrifice -- it would have hurt the viewers and Angel more -- if the person that he had to kill had once been part of his team.