Off Season Trade Thread vol. IV: Spezza's Long Goodbye

[Nac Mac Feegle]

Keep telling yourself it's the fanbase and not simply management that has finally come to terms with the fact that Spezza is the wrong guy to lead this team.

Enough of this Chicken Little stuff from those who are still holding on dearly to Spezza. We're not going to lose every other great player simply because one of them isn't working out.

Ryan is staying.

Agreed.

Every team has fans that call out players. Ottawa is arguably the smallest fanbase in Canada...if that tiny ripple of fan noise is enough to make players leave, then it's on the player.

Personally, I think there's a good chance Michalek is gone (don't think the team will want him back), but I have a strong feeling Ryan and Spezza wills tick around. Hemsky, on the other hand, feels like a 50/50 decision.

 

[HSF]

I think michalek I'd the most likely to stay out of the top line

Maclean and Murray say only great things about him. Off the ice

 

[Laoghaire]

Agreed.

Every team has fans that call out players. Ottawa is arguably the smallest fanbase in Canada...if that tiny ripple of fan noise is enough to make players leave, then it's on the player.

Personally, I think there's a good chance Michalek is gone (don't think the team will want him back), but I have a strong feeling Ryan and Spezza wills tick around. Hemsky, on the other hand, feels like a 50/50 decision.

Ottawa has a tiny tiny fanbase. You don't realize it until the Habs or Leafs go far in the playoffs. You realize that while Ottawa is the 4th largest CMA in Canada, a huge portion of that population is going to cheer for the Leafs or Habs.

We should hate those people. They make us ******. Let's ostrich-size them.

 

[WhiteLight*]

Out (please)
Spezza
Michalek
Phillips
Neil
Anderson
Greening


Hemsky and Ryan I'm indifferent to

 

[HSF]

Out (please)
Spezza
Michalek
Phillips
Neil
Anderson
Greening





Hemsky and Ryan I'm indifferent to

Welcome to Edm.... Without the high picks

 

[FolignoQuantumLeap]

Keep telling yourself it's the fanbase and not simply management that has finally come to terms with the fact that Spezza is the wrong guy to lead this team.

Enough of this Chicken Little stuff from those who are still holding on dearly to Spezza. We're not going to lose every other great player simply because one of them isn't working out.

Ryan is staying.

People saying that Ryan is less likely to stay after Spezza leaves at least have a basis for this. A less talented team is a less desirable team. It's pretty simple. Just because you say he's staying, doesn't make it true.

FWIW, I think Murray will convince Melnyk to back the money truck up for Ryan and he'll stay but I'm very worried about us being cheap next season and losing all those FAs. Worried might not be the right word. Paranoid probably fits the bill.

 

[Stylizer1]

Spezza, Anderson, Weircioch/Cowen

for

Tavares?

 

[HSF]

It's cute that people think that a business is run with only the short term in sight.

I think everyone in Ottawa knows that we have a lot of Ufa coming up.

Some people seem to think that melnyk and Murray didn't plan for this

 

[L'Aveuglette]

People saying that Ryan is less likely to stay after Spezza leaves at least have a basis for this. A less talented team is a less desirable team. It's pretty simple. Just because you say he's staying, doesn't make it true.

FWIW, I think Murray will convince Melnyk to back the money truck up for Ryan and he'll stay but I'm very worried about us being cheap next season and losing all those FAs. Worried might not be the right word. Paranoid probably firs the bill.

It's not just because I say so, it's because Ryan still has a year on his contract and if we trade Spezza it won't be for junk. Bobby's also at a point in his career where he should see the change as an opportunity for him to take on a more leadership role on the team.

The other arguments are just sour grapes.

 

[HSF]

It's not just because I say so, it's because Ryan still has a year on his contract and if we trade Spezza it won't be for junk. He's also at the right point in his career where he should see the change as an opportunity for him to take on a more leadership role on the team.

The other arguments are just sour grapes.

There is a very HIGH chance that the spezza deal WONT make us better by next year

We will most likely get mostly futures

It is more logical to believe that he won't stay if the team is worse in the short term especially since he is entering his prime

 

[WhiteLight*]

Welcome to Edm.... Without the high picks

Well, Edmonton has no Karlsson, Turris, MacArthur, Lehner, or even Cowen and Methot type players.

Michalek, Phillips, Neil, Anderson, Greening were anchors for this team, just dragging and slowing it down. Veterans schmeterans, they were often the worst players out there.

Obviously the team left over won't compete for the cup, but you gotta allow the building process to move forward

 

[Stylizer1]

It's not just because I say so, it's because Ryan still has a year on his contract and if we trade Spezza it won't be for junk. Bobby's also at a point in his career where he should see the change as an opportunity for him to take on a more leadership role on the team.

The other arguments are just sour grapes.

Or he can go play with Giroux.

 

[FolignoQuantumLeap]

It's cute that people think that a business is run with only the short term in sight.

I think everyone in Ottawa knows that we have a lot of Ufa coming up.

Some people seem to think that melnyk and Murray didn't plan for this

Well, giving Spezza thr 'C' is really looking like a short sighted move. Acquiring Hemsky looks like a REALY short sighted move.

These guys are not always making great decisions. Let's certainly not praise Melnyk's business sense.

 

[FolignoQuantumLeap]

I'm very on board with this Boyle idea. Need a vet like him, he's one of the few RHD in the league that can handle the left side.

I'm gonna guess he goes back to Tampa though.

 

[WhiteLight*]

Spezza would be good in St. Louis. Hitchcock would mould him a certain way to limit his weaknesses, and he would add much needed skill and creativity for that team


As for Boyle, it's quite a feat being a minus player on the Sharks this year and their fans don't seem to have nice things to say about his game. I'd stay away from that, unless he comes cheap enough to justify a third pair role

 

[HSF]

Well, giving Spezza thr 'C' is really looking like a short sighted move. Acquiring Hemsky looks like a REALY short sighted move.

These guys are not always making great decisions. Let's certainly not praise Melnyk's business sense.

Not really since spezza is our best player with experience and has been one of our best for the past decade. There was no other choice really. Turris was still green at the time same with Karlsson. Phillips was old and Ryan and MacArthur are new. We don't have anyone who was like Alfie on the roster all the time. Also giving spezza the c might have made it easier to resign him. We saw this same tactic with Parise.

Hemsky was a deadline deal... Yes deadline deals are generally short term. I would have been upset if Murray didn't try to make it into the playoffs especially with no 1st

 

[FolignoQuantumLeap]

Spezza would be good in St. Louis. Hitchcock would mould him a certain way to limit his weaknesses, and he would add much needed skill and creativity for that team

My only problem with making a deal with STL is that I'm only interested in Oshie or Schwartz as the center piece. I have a hard time seeing them giving one of them up. Berglund would be a great buy low type guy but he's not even close to being a center piece of this deal.

 

[WhiteLight*]

My only problem with making a deal with STL is that I'm only interested in Oshie or Schwartz as the center piece. I have a hard time seeing them giving one of them up. Berglund would be a great buy low type guy but he's not even close to being a center piece of this deal.

Definitely agree on Berglund. I'd take him as a secondary piece though.

Guys I like from St. Louis as primary pieces are Backes, Oshie, Schwartz, Steen, Tarasenko, Shattenkirk and Pietrangelo. I don't think any of those pieces are moving though; closest would be Shattenkirk or Tarasenko

 

[FolignoQuantumLeap]

The other idea I had after a whole bottle of wine and some fine hashish was trading Spezza for a big package of picks. Like a 1st next year + a bunch of lower picks over the course of the next 3 years to let our scouts go nuts with or use as currency in other trades. Maybe more value with something like that than acquiring other team's prospects or outcasts.

 

[YouGotAStuGoing]

Out (please)
Spezza
Michalek
Phillips
Neil
Anderson
Greening


Hemsky and Ryan I'm indifferent to

You do know we're trying to win games here, right?

 

[HSF]

If berglund part of the deal then I would want to see Jaskin and rattie both coming even if we need to add a pick

Not a fan of berglund but we will see. A 2015 first might be interesting as St Louis doesn't have one this year

 

[WhiteLight*]

The other idea I had after a whole bottle of wine and some fine hashish was trading Spezza for a big package of picks. Like a 1st next year + a bunch of lower picks over the course of the next 3 years to let our scouts go nuts with or use as currency in other trades. Maybe more value with something like that than acquiring other team's prospects or outcasts.

Interesting

You do know we're trying to win games here, right?

Getting most of those guys out is a step in the right direction imo. Only guys you could make an argument for is Spezza and Anderson, and they both have injury and consistency issues; I think it's best to just move on at this point considering the depth the team has

 

[Benjamin]

You do know we're trying to win games here, right?

Probably why he specifically wants those players gone. (Minus Spezza)

 

[HSF]

Interesting



Getting most of those guys out is a step in the right direction imo. Only guys you could make an argument for is Spezza and Anderson, and they both have injury and consistency issues; I think it's best to just move on at this point considering the depth the team has

Not really

Not until Lehner and Cowen surpass Anderson and phillips which hasn't happened yet

 

[Valar Morghulis]

People look at Stewart this year and think that is him. Anyone who has watched his career will know he will be like hemsky and start scoring once on a different style of team. He has speed and size which he used on a team which was faster in col

He wasn't even bad in stl he lead them in scoring last year

Stewart has been shipped out of two teams for being wildly inconsistent. One day he looks like a legit top line winger, and the next he's an invisible non-factor. You can say he has size, but what good is that if he doesn't use it? I don't want him anywhere near this team.