We're seeing a culture and team identity being built from the ground up. Management can come up with all the chalkboard inspirational quotes, but this has to come from the players. It's front office, however, that brought in the right vets to do it.
Jason Spezza
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We're seeing a culture and team identity being built from the ground up. Management can come up with all the chalkboard inspirational quotes, but this has to come from the players. It's front office, however, that brought in the right vets to do it.
Leaftors
Registered User
Well, even though the point still doesn’t make sense, at least your sentences made sense and you were comprehensible.
Jimmy Firecracker
Backcheck, Forecheck, Paycheque.
Maple Leafs' Spezza will retire if claimed on waivers, agent says - Sportsnet.ca
January 17, 2021, 1:35 PM
TORONTO -- Jason Spezza simply can’t see himself playing anywhere else.
The veteran centre is so entrenched with the Toronto Maple Leafs that he’d rather walk away from the sport than report to another team that claims him off the waiver wire, according to agent Rick Curran.
“He’ll simply retire,” Curran told Sportsnet on Sunday.
The Leafs placed Spezza and No. 3 goaltender Aaron Dell on waivers as part of roster maneuvering needed to create flexibility in the wake of a left knee injury to Nick Robertson. The NHL’s other 30 teams have until noon ET on Monday to put in a claim.
While Dell is likely headed elsewhere -- there’ve been four claims involving goaltenders already in this young NHL season -- Spezza intends to stay in Toronto no matter what happens.
The 37-year-old relishes the role he’s carved out with his hometown Leafs and holds the cards here: In the event he was claimed by another team and refused to report, he’d likely see his $700,000 contract terminated.
That would allow him to sign another deal in Toronto.
Spezza said there was “unfinished business” when he returned to the Leafs on a second straight one-year contract in October, and understood at the time that a roster move like the one that occurred Sunday was possible because of the team’s salary cap position, according to Curran.
Fully aware of this ststement but how is this any different? He was never waived while under Babcock. His agent released this statement after he was waived by Dubas while coached by Keefe. We don't know if he would have released the same statement if he was waived while coached by Babs.
If I'm a GM of a rival team and think Spezza is a difference maker, I'm claiming him. #1 if we can convince him to play for us, we gain a valuable player, #2 if we can't, at least my rival loses depth.
This happened with Nabokov years ago, he signed with Detroit from the KHL because he wanted to play in the playoffs. The terrible islanders claimed him and he refused to report to the islanders. He changed his mind and played the next three seasons for the Islanders.
Simply put... Keefe and Dubas waived Spezza, and it was really no different than when he almost was waived while coached by Babs...except Spezza is one year older.
Muston Atthews
Bunch of Bangerz
if you don’t see the difference between Spezza being benched and disliked by a coach which would have lead to a possible waive versus coach/GM telling him he’s going to be waived for salary cap purposes and playing the day before and after that happened then that’s on you
Jimmy Firecracker
Backcheck, Forecheck, Paycheque.
He probably wouldn't have given at the time he was having a bad time here and Babs wasn't his biggest fan. Spezza probably would've welcomed being waived and picked up by another team.
It most definitely is. Spezza hypothetically being waived at the start of 2019-20 season would've been due to Spezza not being a fit for Babcock as a coach and was not being optimized properly. I mean Christ Babcock was playing Nick Shore ahead of him, and Shore's been banished to the depths of Europe since that season.
Spezza being waived this year was due to cap maneuvering and not because Keefe didn't like him or that Spezza wasn't happy here. Again, Spezza's stink about retiring if he was claimed this year likely doesn't happen if he was waived last year.
slozo
Registered User
Story leaked out, because other players wanted the fans and AHLers to know, whose idea it was.
It's a rare thing indeed, millionaires or not, whether it's you or I, doesn't matter - who will give money out of their pocket to people who aren't their relatives or good friends, just because it's the right thing to do in a situation.
And it should be respected and applauded, and I know those AHLers will cherish it mightily.
Shame on you though.
Just, shame.
It may have been a cap maneuver.... doesn't mean Toronto wasn't willing to lose him. It's a risk they took - they were prepared to lose him.
Martin Skoula
Registered User
- Oct 18, 2017
- 12,535
- 17,654
If he was claimed, he'd retire and join the team as an assistant coach the next day. I don't understand how you're not seeing the difference between Babcock going out of his way to humiliate him from game 1.
Dynamite Time
Where Is My Mind?
Stars fan here and glad to hear about what he’s been doing in Toronto. Loved him in Dallas and hope he gets that big prize ending his career in his hometown.
Wrong Wilson
Hanta Yo!
Spezza needs to be involved with the Leafs organization in some kind of coaching/development/front office role after his playing career is done.
BertCorbeau
F*ck cancer - RIP Fugu and Buffaloed
I wouldn't be shocked if he does that as soon as he retires. He wants to win here as a player, have to imagine he'd be happy to join the front office to try to win here.
But he would no longer be a Toronto Maple Leaf player.
I guess we would rationalize management ending his playing career because we like Dubas and Keefe?
It was stated that if he was claimed, he would just retire or not report. The claiming team would then terminate his contract and he would be a free agent. As a free agent he would sign with the Leafs again.
Spezza has played 106GP in a Leafs sweater. He has 52 points during that span.
Over 82GP, that is a 40-point pace... while averaging only 10 minutes/night. 55% in the faceoff circle too.
He is still really damn good and sometimes I think we underestimate that when we just talk about the intangibles he brings to the team (leadership, etc.).
Over 82GP, that is a 40-point pace... while averaging only 10 minutes/night. 55% in the faceoff circle too.
He is still really damn good and sometimes I think we underestimate that when we just talk about the intangibles he brings to the team (leadership, etc.).
MR4
Registered User
- Oct 20, 2014
- 6,270
- 2,253
Probably the best intangibles pick we have had over the past couple years.
The production definitely is a godsend for 4th line matchups, but I’m a little surprised we haven’t seen Spezza line up on the LW of the top 2 lines even once yet. His shot would be an asset to both of our pairs
123offtheglass
Registered User
I think he'd definitely stick around as part of the player development staff. Could also see him joining the coaching staff though, I remember him being voted 2nd (tie for 2nd) to Sidney Crosby among current players who would be a great coach once they retire.
NHLPA Player Poll 2017-18 | NHLPA.com
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