Spezza trade and how it affects us now

[SENATOR]

As of right now, we can fully judge the Spezza trade and the reviews are not pretty.
Not only it was the worst trade in NHL history perhaps. But it also affects the whole make up of this team right now.
This trade is affecting team's structure, coaches's and management's decisions, play on the ice and the morale in the locker room.
Alex Chiasson was instrumental piece of that trade and as the regular NHL player he failed miserably.
There is no intelligence on the ice from him, no hockey sense, no points production. He is taking place from somebody else and hindering development of Lazar, Prince and other prospects. Trading Condra was also a disastrous decision from the management. The whole trade was orchestrated just to give Alex Chiasson the playing time. They play him again and again, and again before better prospects, just to save their faces and themselves. Nick Paul, another piece of that trade can't even play in AHL right now. Coach's decision to bench Hoffman is counterproductive, because players like Alex Chiasson who is done absolutely nothing for this team, have a free ride. I remember when Ryan was going through the motions for more then half of the last season and was not benched even once. Those are double standards, which do not sit well with players.

 

[PoutineSp00nZ]

Spezza trade wasn't good, but we can't gauge it fully until we see what kind of player Paul turns into. Can't bade it all souly on chiasson. Regardless tho, this team would be better wit spezza on the second line than zibby, but it is what it is. Hopefully zibby keeps improving

 

[Larionov]

Spezza was leaving as a free agent anyway within a year, so he was a diminishing asset. Not only that, he had a no movement clause, so he controlled his destination, further limiting the Sens' options. Another strategy would have been to hold on to him and move him at the deadline, but that was a risk also - what if he was hurt or having a poor year? Best to move him out and get what you can for him. We saved some salary, created room for Turris, and moved a guy out of the room who didn't want to be there.

I agree fully that Chiasson is a replacement level player at best, but let's give Nick Paul another year or two before declaring him a bust. He looked terrific in junior last year, and he's not the first 20 year old to struggle to adapt to the pro game. It also doesn't help that he is playing on an absolutely dreadful team in Bingo.

 

[GSG1165]

Addition by subtraction.

Face it, it wasn't working out with him as captain and we were never going to give him $7.5 for 4 more years. Frequent injuries and the risk of him slowing down were big factors.

For whatever reason, we're a better team without him. In a vacuum, I'd want him on the team, but there's more to it.

 

[Fandlauer]

We are a better team without Spezza.

No way I would dole out that kind of cash on a budget team for a player who's had years of back issues.

We had to get rid of him and every other GM knew that. It is what it is.

 

[Very Stable Genius]

We should have asked for Klingberg, and Dallas would have probably given him. Oh well.

 

[God Says No]

We should have asked for Klingberg, and Dallas would have probably given him. Oh well.

I thought about this as well. Was he a highly touted prospect at the time of the trade?

 

[guyzeur]

As of right now, we can fully judge the Spezza trade and the reviews are not pretty.
Not only it was the worst trade in NHL history perhaps. But it also affects the whole make up of this team right now.
This trade is affecting team's structure, coaches's and management's decisions, play on the ice and the morale in the locker room.
Alex Chiasson was instrumental piece of that trade and as the regular NHL player he failed miserably.
There is no intelligence on the ice from him, no hockey sense, no points production. He is taking place from somebody else and hindering development of Lazar, Prince and other prospects. Trading Condra was also a disastrous decision from the management. The whole trade was orchestrated just to give Alex Chiasson the playing time. They play him again and again, and again before better prospects, just to save their faces and themselves. Nick Paul, another piece of that trade can't even play in AHL right now. Coach's decision to bench Hoffman is counterproductive, because players like Alex Chiasson who is done absolutely nothing for this team, have a free ride. I remember when Ryan was going through the motions for more then half of the last season and was not benched even once. Those are double standards, which do not sit well with players.

What's wrong with you guys this week?

Worst trade in NHL history?
The spezza trade is affecting coach's decisions?

We should have asked for Klingberg, and Dallas would have probably given him. Oh well.

I'm pretty sure we did and they said no.

 

[Engineer]

What Condra trade are we referring to?

The one where Condra was a UFA and turned down Ottawa's offer to accept a position at Tampa Bay, the team who is coached by Jon Cooper - of whom he was an usher at his wedding?

This trade?

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

Click here to see the worst trade in NHL history!!!

This GM makes a trade and you will never believe what happens next!!!

 

[topshelf15]

Addition by subtraction.

Face it, it wasn't working out with him as captain and we were never going to give him $7.5 for 4 more years. Frequent injuries and the risk of him slowing down were big factors.

For whatever reason, we're a better team without him. In a vacuum, I'd want him on the team, but there's more to it.

Yep Spezza ,s time here was at an end .Both the team and the player realised this

 

[God Says No]

I'm pretty sure we did and they said no.

We did? I never heard this. Source?

 

[Very Stable Genius]

I thought about this as well. Was he a highly touted prospect at the time of the trade?

This was before he hopped over the pond, so I'd say he was a good prospect. Definitely not the untouchable player he became though.

 

[Filatov2Kovalev2Bonk]

The Spezza trade is far from one of the worst in NHL history and it was done for cap reasons. Murray overevaluates grit and character though, so this is likely what drew him to Chiasson. He also vastly overevaluates small sample sizes (Chiasson, Conacher, Hammond) and overreacts to them.

We're not a better team, but we have more cap space, which is good unless we fail to use it, in which case it's a waste.

 

[Very Stable Genius]

These quotes from Friedman make me sad.

“Well, I think Ottawa will be looking to extort a lot. They made a trade for Bobby Ryan where they gave up a lot. I’m wondering if they allow a window to negotiate with him because that would always change things. The thing that comes to me is, the question is, “Is there a market for this guy?” There sure is. Like if Ottawa comes out to day and Bryan Murray says, “Jason Spezza is on the market,” there’s going to be teams throwing themselves at him because they’ll be looking to take a guy who’s a number one or two center, they are hard to find. And a guy who put up 82 points two years ago, those guys are hard to find. I think that there will be a lot of competition. A lot of teams need offence – St. Louis, Nashville for example – I think the price is going to be pretty high. Oh by the way, the other thing about that too is that Spezza has control. He has a no-move clause, so that’s the only thing that can limit Ottawa in any way.”

Well, I think they’re looking (defence – but Friedman stops short of saying it)… if they’re giving up Spezza, they’re looking for… yes, they’re always looking for youth because that’s the way they kind of go. They’re not a cap team. They’re more of a budget team, so they have to be careful with what they decide to acquire. I think they’re looking for offence, no question because they have a question about Hemsky too. Is he going to stay? So they’re going to be looking for players who can play offence and they’re also going to be looking for a defensive defenceman. They have issues. Wiercioch took a step back. He had a bit of a struggling year. Cowen really had a struggling year. They don’t have a lot of veterans on that blue line – guys that have been around a bit and can defend – that’s another thing they’ll be looking for too.”

This is like terrible deja vu.

 

[J0sh]

Having a plug on the 3rd line is better then having one on the first line.

It was too bad GMBM pushed for such big clumsy prospects but they also take longer to develop so it's still way too early to tell if Gagne and Paul are younger versions of Chiasson or legit power forwards.

 

[danielpalfredsson]

It is impossible to say whether or not it was a bad trade without knowing what other plausible offers were on the table or what Dallas was open to moving.

The Senators did not trade Spezza, they traded one year of Spezza. Spezza let management know he intended to walk as a UFA and gave them the option of moving him so that he could get out of Ottawa a year earlier, and they could retain some assets for him. Win-win.

The Senators could have held out for a first round pick or better prospects, but that would have required holding on to Spezza throughout the season which could have been a distraction. Not to mention, there would be a risk that if Spezza got hurt, he would be unable to be traded.

 

[Not Jared Cowen]

As of right now, we can fully judge the Spezza trade and the reviews are not pretty.
Not only it was the worst trade in NHL history perhaps. But it also affects the whole make up of this team right now.

Nope, the Spezza trade wasn't even the worst trade in our organization's history. That title goes to the Heatley trade. Spezza was 31 years old, had 1 year left on his contract before he was leaving for free and had a history of chronic back problems.

Jason Spezza was run out of town by the fan base here. Year after year, he was the scapegoat for the performance of a team that lost more and more of the talent around him and for years he just kept giggling and kept playing.

This trade is affecting team's structure, coaches's and management's decisions, play on the ice and the morale in the locker room.
Alex Chiasson was instrumental piece of that trade and as the regular NHL player he failed miserably.
There is no intelligence on the ice from him, no hockey sense, no points production.

Chiasson has been better this year, he's not going to be a point producer, but he's okay in a bottom six role as an energy guy. He's decent enough on the cycle and forecheck and has cut down on the backbreaker penalties of last year. I feel like a lot of the frustration is that he was the only NHL ready piece in this trade so people have/had higher expectations for him than are realistic at this point.

He is taking place from somebody else and hindering development of Lazar, Prince and other prospects.

We don't really have anyone else, honestly. Puempel and Prince have been given opportunities with injuries, and after that there's not a ton of NHL potential players capable of taking those minutes. Lazar needs to be in a productive AHL environment. I don't know if it's that he's not NHL ready or he's lost confidence, but he certainly needs a change. Chiasson usually plays with Pageau and Michalek when healthy, so I don't see how that impacts the development of Lazar or Prince.

Trading Condra was also a disastrous decision from the management. The whole trade was orchestrated just to give Alex Chiasson the playing time. They play him again and again, and again before better prospects, just to save their faces and themselves.

Condra left as a UFA and has nothing to do with the Spezza trade.

Nick Paul, another piece of that trade can't even play in AHL right now.

He is playing in the AHL though, there's just no talent around him. Hopefully it doesn't detract

Coach's decision to bench Hoffman is counterproductive, because players like Alex Chiasson who is done absolutely nothing for this team, have a free ride. I remember when Ryan was going through the motions for more then half of the last season and was not benched even once. Those are double standards, which do not sit well with players.

Mike Hoffman is a sophmore 1st line NHL player. Bobby Ryan is an established top-6 player. Chiasson is a bottom-6 energy guy.
If you want to play first line minutes, you have to bring it every night. There is still growth potential in Hoffman. Bobby Ryan and Chiasson are what they are. Put Ryan with a playmaker like Turris and he'll score 30+30. Chiasson is a spot filler until somebody better becomes available.

 

[NyQuil]

Spezza trade wasn't good, but we can't gauge it fully until we see what kind of player Paul turns into. Can't bade it all souly on chiasson. Regardless tho, this team would be better wit spezza on the second line than zibby, but it is what it is. Hopefully zibby keeps improving

Spezza would never play on the 2nd line in an Ottawa uniform.

 

[Very Stable Genius]

The Senators could have held out for a first round pick or better prospects, but that would have required holding on to Spezza throughout the season which could have been a distraction. Not to mention, there would be a risk that if Spezza got hurt, he would be unable to be traded.

Considering the return, that would have been an acceptable risk IMO.

 

[Engineer]

Considering the return, that would have been an acceptable risk IMO.

hindsight is 20/20

 

[NyQuil]

We have one of the highest scoring teams in the league with the core in their early to mid-20s and we're still *****ing and moaning.

Go watch some Hartsburg hockey if you want to feel better. Spezza was on that team.

 

[operasen]

It is impossible to say whether or not it was a bad trade without knowing what other plausible offers were on the table or what Dallas was open to moving.

The Senators did not trade Spezza, they traded one year of Spezza. Spezza let management know he intended to walk as a UFA and gave them the option of moving him so that he could get out of Ottawa a year earlier, and they could retain some assets for him. Win-win.

The Senators could have held out for a first round pick or better prospects, but that would have required holding on to Spezza throughout the season which could have been a distraction. Not to mention, there would be a risk that if Spezza got hurt, he would be unable to be traded.

Spezza left because of MacLean I think. He was asked to change his game around (200 foot) and be defensively responsible at the cost of generating offense. His star wingers had gone (Heatley, Alfredsson)., and I'm not sure the Captaincy was an easy thing for him to add to his duties with the team.

 

[danielpalfredsson]

hindsight is 20/20

Trade deadline returns were really bad in 13-14 as well. Lots of guys going for 2nds who you'd think would go for 1sts. So if a team is trading a player in the summer after that happened, it would be fair to think that prices might not heat up at the deadline.

 

[Minister of Offence]

We have one of the highest scoring teams in the league with the core in their early to mid-20s and we're still *****ing and moaning.

Go watch some Hartsburg hockey if you want to feel better. Spezza was on that team.

The biggest value in the Spezza deal was we moved on. And we're better for it.

The thing about the Sens for anyone that isn't satisfied yet with where they are, is they are trending upwards and should continue to do so over the next 5 years as long as they don't get away from the focus on draft/development.

It was addition by subtraction. The team would have been better off even if they just gave him away. No slight to Spezza as he has value, but this team needed to move on the faces at the forefront needed to change. Those faces have changed, and we'll be better for it.

If you simply look at the deal, we likely lost it. May have lost it big. But it wasn't about the return, it was about what giving up Spezza allowed us to do. It was a deal I wouldn't want to take back.

Although of course, some will say "WELL WHY DIDN"T WE GET KLINGBERG SO WE COULD PUT HIM WITH KARLSSON, DUH".