With everyone either awaiting the start of the Stanley Cup Final or its conclusion so that the Senators can move on with their offseason game plan, it’s the dog days of summer for hockey news.
Fortunately, TSN’s Darren Dreger made an appearance on TSN 1050 radio in Toronto this afternoon and brought up Jason Spezza’s name while playing up the anticipated trade activity that will lead up to the NHL Draft.
“The Spezza watch is on full alert. I know that Bryan Murray is telling teams that he wants a similar package to what he had to pay to acquire Bobby Ryan from the Anaheim Duck – so you’re talking about a pick or picks, you’re talking about a player or players and a prospect or prospects. That’s kind of the market dialogue that’s happening right now.”
The price the Senators paid for Bobby Ryan was obviously a prospect (Stefan Noesen), a young NHL player (Jakob Silfverberg) and a 2014 first round pick that the Senators undoubtedly believed would be lower than the tenth overall selection that the Ducks ultimately wound up with.
It’s been reported elsewhere that Murray has been asking for a package similar to what the Senators gave up to acquire Bobby Ryan and you certainly can’t fault them for asking for it, but barring a situation in which the Senators are able to play the Anaheim Ducks, St. Louis Blues off or another suitor off of each other, it might be overly optimistic to expect that type of a haul. (Of course this could simply be a defensive mechanism of mine so that I’m not disappointed with whatever Ottawa gets in return.)
For one, Spezza only has one-year of term left on his contract and turns 31 years of age in ten days. He does not carry anywhere near the kind of cache Ryan did for being young and in his prime. But hey, props to Murray if he can get it.
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