The summer of Spezza continues post NHL draft, much to the chagrin of GM Bryan Murray. The team hoped that Spezza would be gone by the draft, having picked up a first-round pick (along with one or two other assets) in the process.
The only thing that happened with Spezza this weekend? Well, he was kind of, sort of traded. To Nashville. A team on his limited no-trade list. And Ottawa, I think kind of upset that he didn't decide to waive for Nashville, leaked all of that information the night of the failed trade. By all accounts, the proposed trade with Nashville is dead -- if not for the fact that Spezza still won't waive, then for the fact that the pieces of the proposed trade (including Hornqvist and Spaling) are now in Pittsburgh.
There's been one interesting development since -- the emergence of Dallas as a real contender for Jason Spezza. TSN's Bob McKenzie actually noted them as one of the two big contenders for his services.
There's been a ton of confusion as to whether or not Dallas is on Spezza's no-trade list. Bruce Garrioch cleared that up this morning:
It's not hard to reason why Spezza would go to Dallas instead of Nashville. The Stars, unlike the Predators, are a legitimately good hockey team right now. Every shred of evidence and data we have suggests they are a team rising, too -- perhaps a piece or two away from really, really pushing things in the Western Conference. Ultimately, it doesn't surprise me that they are buying this summer, be it Spezza or anyone else. This is a team that just has a little bit of a depth issue. Nothing out of the ordinary, but understandably a point the team would want to bolster if they're serious about contending.
If Spezza's reason for not waiving for Nashville is because they're a poor hockey team with a limited (relative) chance to compete for a Stanley Cup, it's a fair objection. The whole point of his no-trade clause -- given to him by Ottawa's front office -- was to keep him from being sent to hockey's purgatories.
Dallas, on the other hand, strikes me as a very intriguing landing spot for a player in Spezza's situation. And you can sense that Spezza knows this, too.
So, now it's a matter of Dallas making the right offer. Judging by Bob McKenzie, the offer wasn't good enough the first time around. We'll see if Dallas dials it up once more, jumping St. Louis in the process.
Side-note, I don't care how the trade looks or what it would take: I'd love, love, love to pry Valeri Nichushkin from Dallas. You kind of would assume he's untouchable as such a cost-effective and ultra-talented youngster, but perhaps Ottawa (with Spezza, or in a larger deal) can find a way to snag him.
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