After a week, it’s no longer a shock that Jason Spezza will be traded by the Ottawa Senators. What could be the shocker is where he goes and what he goes for. We already know Spezza has made a list of ten teams he doesn’t want to be traded to and that includes all Canadian franchises. With that, the only option is an American franchise that needs or wants an ‘elite’ center like Spezza. The word elite gives a sense of high value, but how high is Spezza’s value? Let’s take a look at some of the facts that affect his trade value.
Asking to be traded usually brings the value of a player down and as GM Bryan Murray said in a press conference, he doesn’t expect to get the same value as Spezza but to hopefully get something in return that is “satisfactory” for his team. I guess you could only ask for some satisfaction in return for a player that’s had two recent back surgeries and one year remaining on his $7 million cap hit contract.
Speaking of contracts and free agency, another top center available is Paul Stastny. With him on the market, a team can easily clench down a heavy contract for a younger, top talent center without giving up any assets. Other options teams can look into are the recent reports of San Jose’s Joe Thornton, who could be shopped around for younger talent, or the trade demands of Ryan Kesler from the Vancouver Canucks.
With all of this being said, the value and demand for a player like Spezza doesn’t appear to be too high. The best option for Ottawa is the hopes of a team desperately needing a player like Spezza or to make it a multi-player deal to sweeten the value of Ottawa’s one year captain.
A multi-player deal can be very plausible, with Ottawa having to possibly face another year with of too many defencemen to play with, being that both restricted free agents Mark Borowiecki and Eric Gryba will be receiving a one-way contract this off season.
So, there’s lots of pressure on Murray but there are some positives to hand out as well. Murray has reported that he has been in serious talks with teams who look to be very interested in acquiring Spezza. As well, the hype of the draft can bring with it some real rational moves between teams around the league and Murray just might be able to find his satisfaction come draft day.
The specifics of Murray’s satisfaction have been listed by him. He want to acquire a 1st round draft pick, a prospect, and a NHL-ready player or a player who can play in a top-six role. Personally, I think the second option is a little more realistic, even if you add in a prospect or a mid-tier draft pick. Murray also specified that that are no real needs in any area for the team and likes the core he has set now.
So, yes there is a lot that stacks against getting an incredible deal, but there are windows of opportunity where Murray and the Senators can come out with something that will really be beneficial to the team.
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