The last 48 hours have been a perfect example of how Jason Spezza is the most
polarizing figure on the Senators roster.
Cheap NFL
Jerseys . On Monday night, many fans in this city placed the blame
squarely on the captain for his role in the James Neal overtime winner against
the Pittsburgh Penguins. But the very next night, Spezza answered his critics
with a clutch three-point performance that included a pair of beautiful assists
in a stunning 5-4 shootout victory over the St. Louis Blues. On both nights, our
radio station was flooded with calls and e-mails from fans wanting to talk about
Spezza. The first night we heard from his detractors and, on the second, we
heard from his defenders. Its a predictable pattern with the fans here in
Ottawa. When Spezza plays poorly, his critics say you cannot win with him. When
he generates offence, the negative comments disappear into the cold night air.
There is no arguing that Spezza has had a rough season in 2013-14. In many ways,
Spezza is having a similar season to Eric Staal in Carolina. Staal has 14 goals
and 44 points and was left off Team Canadas roster because of his slow start.
Spezza has 15 goals and 42 points – numbers that look awfully similar to Staals.
The Sens captain sits 24th in scoring amongst centremen in the NHL, a ranking
that suggests that he is still a legitimate number-one centre in a 30-team
league. Spezza is also only one point behind Kyle Turris on the team scoring
list without the luxury of playing with the same quality of linemates so far
this season. And while everyone can agree that Turris is trending upwards, most
believe that the opposite is true for Spezza. Those who are into analytics have
been trumpeting Spezzas poor Corsi numbers all season long as tangible proof of
his declining skills. After Monday nights loss, where Spezza failed to clear the
puck out of his own zone, many fans who arent into advanced stats said they had
reached their breaking point with the captain. We were bombarded with "Trade
Spezza" e-mails and calls and there seemed like a growing distaste for his style
of play in Ottawa. One of the most common complaints I heard from fans is that
Spezza needs to earn his $7 million salary. But what fans need to remember about
Spezza is that his contract is set up very favorably for next season. While he
carries a cap hit of $7 million, he will actually only get paid $4 million in
actual money for the 2014-15 campaign. (Spezza is being paid $5 million this
season as his front-loaded contract starts to decline). And for a team like
Ottawa that is desperate to reach the salary cap floor, this contract is an
absolute dream. For next season, the Sens are getting $3 million of salary cap
space eaten up for nothing. If the Sens were a spend-to-the-cap team, this deal
would be an issue for them, but the exact opposite is true and that is why I
would expect the Senators to hang onto their captain. He gives them $7 million
of salary cap space for the price of $4 million. And now ask yourself this
important question: Would you pay Jason Spezza $4 million to play next season?
Of course you would. In a world where the oft-injured Martin Havlat will be
making $6 million next season and Mike Ribeiro will be making $5.5 million,
Spezza is absolutely a bargain at $4 million in real dollars. He wont even rank
among the top 50 forwards in salary next season. As his salary is lowered,
perhaps the expectations on Spezza could follow suit. He is 30 years old and no
longer surrounded by snipers like Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson. But at $4
million dollars next season, Jason Spezza will be worth every penny that he is
paid.
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Barcelonas entertaining victory ensured the defending Spanish champions retained
their share of the league lead with Atletico Madrid two rounds ahead of their
meeting in the capital. Real Madrid needed a late goal by substitute Jese
Rodriguez to earn a 3-2 victory at Valencia to stay in third place and three
points behind its title rivals.WINNIPEG -- The Winnipeg Jets have claimed
defenceman Keaton Ellerby off waivers. Ellerby was placed on waivers by the Los
Angeles Kings on Friday. The 24-year-old has 20 career points and 86 career
penalty minutes in 160 NHL games with the Florida Paanthers and the Kings.
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Jerseys. He has also appeared in six NHL playoff games, collecting
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