I mean, the more risk the higher the reward. To me. Trading him before season may get a better return, but is higher risk
A good first half of season and a positive environment can do wonders for contract talks :)
The thing with Spezza is it's not just about trading him to shake things up, or trading him because many think he's not the type of player that will take this team to the next level, or any number of on ice performance reasons.
The Sens have to ask the following questions.
1. Does Spezza want to stay beyond the last year of his contract when he becomes a unrestricted free agent?
2. If he does want to stay, what will be the cost and term that he'll demand?
3. If the terms is are something like $7M a year for 7 years, do they want to sign him to that with his history of back problems?
Players hold a lot of power then pending UFA is on the horizon, Spezza can say if you don't give me what I want, I'll just test the free agent market and Sens can lose him for nothing.
Question is, if Spezza is not in the team's future, when is the best time to trade him to get maximum return?
Around draft time before the Sens can start talking to Jason about a contract extension? During the summer if they don't feel they can sign him to a contract they are comfortable with? Or at the trade deadline?
I also don't want Spezza to be traded. I mean... what will I change my name to? Turris delivery? ..it's not the same =/
Spezza is part of what's kept me interested in the Sens all these years. I know he'll be gone eventually - retired/traded, etc. But I think losing him would be a mistake.
Right now it's like, "Hey, if we get rid of Spezza - maybe we could get someone back who's almost as good as Spezza!"
Gab, is that where you'll be living next school year?
Note: Spezza not included.
No. Unfortunately the whole "Spezza not included" in the fine print of the contract was a deal breaker...especially for the price I was willing to pay!
I'd be impressed if Gab was living there next year, as they're still building the core structure of the building. It's also much closer to Carleton U than U of O. But hey....act now and you get a 3 year lease of a Mercedes CLA with you purchase!
There have been a number of trades that GMBM has been torched for at the time which, in hindsight, worked out pretty well. Specifically, there were VERY few people who weren't upset with the return for Heatley but while Cheechoo was soon gone I think 9MM has been a more useful player to the team than Dany would have been if he had remained here.
The return for Spezza might take a few years to see how good it is, but I'd rather that than get back pieces that aren't true value to try and show results right away.
Spezza + Wiercioch + Gryba <-> Eric Stall + CAR's 1st round pick next year
Both Cs can use a fresh start, CAR needs blue line help big time, it frees up the logjam on our blueline and we get a 1st round pick in next year's deep draft. I still don't want to trade #19 but this is the sort of return I'd like to see.
PS: If Murray didn't mandate Phillips to work on his speed training this off-season he should personally resign for signing that contract. After the the Greening (what did he ever really do) deal Murray's got to get off his rear and down to the gym. Alfie used to do drills to get his speed up at 38. It works. Get Phillips to do this sort of work and wow the fans.
As i said above: Spezza is a really classy guy. Period. That's without question.
Now let's talk Sens...
Can we talk Sens?
...The market is going to take our forum's homerism and flush it down the toilet. When we trade him for peanuts we'll get an unbiased analysis of what his true value is. Harsh but true.
you mentioned Phillips, Dan Boyle an Ottawa native and near the same age as Phillips is a UFA but because they signed Phillips there is now way they would sign Boyle I'd imagine. Boyle is better than Phillips at this point too, he was the only Shark besides Couture who of the stars on the team who ever seemed to really care once they got beat.
Russell, that's interesting, but didn't Ryan say that he and his fiancée were looking to stay and he said that the team treated him like a family?
It seems that only our group of listeners are interested in keeping Spezza and if the season goes down the tubes, move him at deadline. For this season's Vanek deadline, I honestly think that Snow screwed up the market. The Vanek deal, and he was the most coveted trade piece, wasn't done until WAY after the deadline. Last year, nothing happened until Bishop was moved then all the other deals went through. I assume that teams starting settling for less on their B level trades while trying to hold on to pieces to possibly get Vanek.
As for Spezza's captaincy, he said that this was the first time ever that he was a team captain. EVER? How many former captains do the teams left in the playoffs have left? Best option for now.
And it's not the WHOLE fan base that hates Spezza and wants to dump him. Some want him gone to get the most possible. Plus all of the media is in on this, and at the year end meetings, he got nothing in the form of support from management.
I was hoping to get Spezza as a legacy player, and found this important for the franchise, especially after losing Alfie. Instead we're stuck with Phillips and Neil...
Canucks, Pens, Blues, Leafs, Sharks, Ducks, etc etc. all want Jonathon Toews and Quick type players but just how many of those type of players are there? The Sharks could move Thornton or Marleau or whoever, the Pens could move Latang the Blues are looking to move guys the Leafs Phaneuf as u can see there is all kinds of very good to great players who may be available. Kesler is out there and Spezza but what do all these guys have in common except Kesler? They are all accused of being soft in the playoffs there are no Toews, Quicks or Kanes available it's all guys like Vanek or OllieJokien types.
Or guys who are too young to know if they are Toews or Kanes yet, for all anyone knows they are just more Jumbo Joes and Phanuef's on the way.
It's not going to be easy at all to improve with about 20 other teams looking for the same thing.
great points Russell, that's the first I heard about players being unhappy with the way Alfie was handled. The Budget strikes again!!
I'm so damn tired of this budget crap especially with all the new money coming in, just spend what u are going to spend and shut up about a stupid budget when u do have the money to keep whoever u deem worthy
Saw the msm the other day saying that the players were not at all happy with the way ALFIE was handled by team. That is likely a huge reason why there was such a negative cloud over team all year. Probably a big reason why spezz wants to move on as well. These are the reprocussions of setting a budget and chintzing out on your stars. Who's going to want to sign here?
They scored plenty of goals. If there was a whole season of Hemsky and Spezza they may have scored more, but the goals against would probably have been higher too. The problem was keeping the puck out of our net and that was a joint effort of goalie regression, inexperienced D, and lack of forward support on the breakout.
Spezza's value is highest at the draft and before the season starts. The salary cap has nuked the blockbuster deadline at the deadline deals for Vanek and Moulson this season. Vanek at the start of the season got Buffalo: Mouson, a 1st round pick and a 2nd. Vanek at the deadline got NYI: a long shot prospect and a conditional 2nd. They may get lucky and some GM loses his mind trying to get his team in the playoffs: Detroit trading Jarnkrok for Legwand and MacPhee is Washington trading Forsberg for Erat. I wouldn't bet on it though.
GMBM is better to get a deal done now and let the team have a full season to sort itself out, or openly declare that he is staying and push for the playoffs with him.