Confirmed with Link: TOR sign Jason Spezza to a 1 year, 700K deal

[kb]

Marleau was one of our most productive players in the first year of his contract. He earned his usage.

Babcock messed up by not realizing Marleau un-earned his usage a season later. Kept believing game 7 of 17 / 18 Marleau would show up....but it never happened.

Spezza on the other hand sucks from the get-go.

One of the knocks on Babcock is he's stubborn. Perhaps he did learn from his Marleau mistake which is why he refuses to make the same mistake with Spezza?

Babcock: "I thought Spezza was real good. I thought he was really happy to be doing what he is doing. He was great on the bench. He was great on the ice. He was good in the room. I thought he did a good job for us, so good for him."

 

[kb]

I just don't see a fit for him, were a speed based hard forechecking team and he's just incapable of that now, hes also better suited to a top 9 role with use since we bury our 4th line in the DZ but he's just not better than at least 10 other players (that's the Bare minimum) for a top 9 role

Nobody defeats father time and father time looks like he's taken to Spezza with a baseball bat

Babcock: "I thought Spezza was real good. I thought he was really happy to be doing what he is doing. He was great on the bench. He was great on the ice. He was good in the room. I thought he did a good job for us, so good for him."

Yeah......ok

 

[NightTrain1]

Spezza was really good for us last night. All three of those 4th line guys were really good and Spezza was clearly front and center for them. He was controlling the puck, making good plays and even when Columbus came at us him and his line pushed back a great deal in their limited time. The only thing I expect Spezza to do for this team is exactly what he did tonight and Babcock seemed satisfied as well.

 

[Kiwi]

Babcock: "I thought Spezza was real good. I thought he was really happy to be doing what he is doing. He was great on the bench. He was great on the ice. He was good in the room. I thought he did a good job for us, so good for him."

Yeah......ok

Positively effusive, he still looked about as fast as molasses, the cold stuff not even the heated stuff

 

[CreeksideStrangler]

Why are people acting like spezza was just playing for Ottawa last season? It's no big deal that he didn't play them opening night.

he bought 30 tickets for his family and friends to see him play for his home team... thats what im kindof miffed about. Babs didnt need to play shore first game instead of spez

 

[CreeksideStrangler]

Kerfoot foot notes (fun stats):

Zero: goals, assists, game winning goals, shots, hits, and penalty minutes.

+1

are those the stats you look at on judging bottom 6 players??? if so you have a lot to learn about the game of professional hockey. and how many games are we in??? by Colorados account this kid is fast and effective on moving the puck and will most likely pot us 15-20 goals this season while not being a liability and giving our top guys some rest... That is actually exactly what we need and fits the 3rd line role perfectly.

 

[Leafsfan74]

There is no defense for age. There's no shame in aging, but when the game requires speed and lightning quick reactions and you've lost a step, you have to at least understand the reality.

The best an aging athlete can do is stay in tip top shape. If you normally play at 200, drop down to 185 without sacrificing much strength, you don't have the luxury of a few more pounds that a young body can make up for. Give your body a little less weight to move around out there so you can be in the play.

He's on a team loaded with youth and talent. He doesn't need to be the Spezza of old, he just has to be effective in his role and contribute to the team success, stay positive and show the younger players how professionals act.

He's making $700k a year to play a sport kids play every day for fun. Minimum wage is $14 an hour, and the people earning that often work the hardest jobs He's in his city, he's on a talented team that could get him his dream of a ring. He should work his behind off to help make that dream a reality. I hope he does.

 

[ottomaddox]

are those the stats you look at on judging bottom 6 players??? if so you have a lot to learn about the game of professional hockey. and how many games are we in??? by Colorados account this kid is fast and effective on moving the puck and will most likely pot us 15-20 goals this season while not being a liability and giving our top guys some rest... That is actually exactly what we need and fits the 3rd line role perfectly.

No.

 

[saltming]

he bought 30 tickets for his family and friends to see him play for his home team... thats what im kindof miffed about. Babs didnt need to play shore first game instead of spez

That's valid, but I'm sure the family enjoyed the game anyway

 

[Crease Master]

he bought 30 tickets for his family and friends to see him play for his home team... thats what im kindof miffed about. Babs didnt need to play shore first game instead of spez

So what? They got to see a great Leaf victory so its money well spent by Spezza as far as I'm concerned. I love that Babs sat Spezza for that game because it sent the message clearly to him that this season is not about having a sentimental victory lap around the league with a Leaf on your chest. Its about sacrificing for a stanley cup. Spezza can have his special moment in a Leaf uniform with his friends and family at that time and it will mean just a bit more to him I'm sure. Besides, who's to say Shore didn't have family in the building and why isn't their enjoyment as important as the Spezza families?

 

[Stephen]

There is no defense for age. There's no shame in aging, but when the game requires speed and lightning quick reactions and you've lost a step, you have to at least understand the reality.

The best an aging athlete can do is stay in tip top shape. If you normally play at 200, drop down to 185 without sacrificing much strength, you don't have the luxury of a few more pounds that a young body can make up for. Give your body a little less weight to move around out there so you can be in the play.

He's on a team loaded with youth and talent. He doesn't need to be the Spezza of old, he just has to be effective in his role and contribute to the team success, stay positive and show the younger players how professionals act.

He's making $700k a year to play a sport kids play every day for fun. Minimum wage is $14 an hour, and the people earning that often work the hardest jobs He's in his city, he's on a talented team that could get him his dream of a ring. He should work his behind off to help make that dream a reality. I hope he does.

I wonder if Babcock sitting out Spezza was a bit of a reminder that he's in more of a blue collar role and not a big name taking a discount to be here? The kind words after are to pump him back up again.

 

[gtforepro]

Age doesn't affect hands and hockey IQ. I thought he looked good last night. And great for $700k.

 

[Havoc]

Babcock: "I thought Spezza was real good. I thought he was really happy to be doing what he is doing. He was great on the bench. He was great on the ice. He was good in the room. I thought he did a good job for us, so good for him."

Yeah I'm rooting for Spezza. I think it will be different this time around though. If he doesn't show up, benched. No Marleau treatment this time around.

 

[TOGuy14]

Marleau was one of our most productive players in the first year of his contract. He earned his usage.

Babcock messed up by not realizing Marleau un-earned his usage a season later. Kept believing game 7 of 17 / 18 Marleau would show up....but it never happened.

Spezza on the other hand sucks from the get-go.

One of the knocks on Babcock is he's stubborn. Perhaps he did learn from his Marleau mistake which is why he refuses to make the same mistake with Spezza?

I think Marleau would have been far more effective last year if Babcock sat him more often to keep him fresh.

Look at say the Spurs and Popovich who regularly healthy scratched his vets with the infamous DNP - OLD on the game card. Every was prancing around it because of Marleau's "ironman" streak but the team and player would have been far better off it he was kept to around 60ish games during the regular season, no back to backs etc.

 

[RantanenRavin]

Age doesn't affect hands and hockey IQ. I thought he looked good last night. And great for $700k.

Arthritis says hello

 

[Havoc]

I think Marleau would have been far more effective last year if Babcock sat him more often to keep him fresh.

Look at say the Spurs and Popovich who regularly healthy scratched his vets with the infamous DNP - OLD on the game card. Every was prancing around it because of Marleau's "ironman" streak but the team and player would have been far better off it he was kept to around 60ish games during the regular season, no back to backs etc.

That's true especially when you consider Marleau was getting 16-17 minutes a night and playing crucial moments.

Luckily Spezza looks like he'll be around the 10 minute mark and just used for PP2.

Marleau would have been lights out in a reduced role like Spezza's. Probably best 4th line in the league if Marleau was used properly. His salary would just be hard to swallow for a 4th line role.

 

[Leafsfan74]

I wonder if Babcock sitting out Spezza was a bit of a reminder that he's in more of a blue collar role and not a big name taking a discount to be here? The kind words after are to pump him back up again.

I think it's to keep a competitive fire in a player. Have players compete all year for fourth line minutes, including Spezza.

Healthy competition for playing time within individuals on a team usually creates positive team outcomes. If a player feels entitled and ensured ice time, they lose their edge and become lackadaisical.

 

[moon111]

It's funny when fans are flipping about about Marleau's use in the playoffs.
Even-strength, he had one less point then Matthews and was even with Marner.
The only difference was, Marleau managed to be on for more goals scored for then against.
He only had one give-away during the playoffs and went 62.2% on the faceoff dot.
Matthews was on for three goals against, Marner on for two.... it gets hard for a
coach to keep on going with that, especially seeing them get burned by non-star
players.

 

[Polaris1010]

You know what is really funny?

Jason Spezza today in the Toronto Sun said the Leafs his new team is doing alright, but they have to get it in deep more often.
Spezza thinks Leafs need to get pucks in deeper

That's hilarious! He's only been here 4 games! 4 games!

And he sees the problem immediately.

(Like the Leafs were great with the small players retrieving pucks behind the opposition icing line.)

Jason Spezza is the boy who finally said . . . "but the Emperor has no clothes".

Watch, two things will happen now.

1. Babcock will play him a lot more.

2. Dubas will try to trade Spezza out of here as fast as he can.

 

[TheScandal89]

Imo if Kapenen has another lack luster offensive game, I'd try Spezza with Marner and Tavares to try to get them going. Lets see what he's got left in the tank when he's got talent to play with.

The 3rd line has been good, the 2nd and 4th line need some tinkering with Hyman out.

 

[Stephen]

You know what is really funny?

Jason Spezza today in the Toronto Sun said the Leafs his new team is doing alright, but they have to get it in deep more often.
Spezza thinks Leafs need to get pucks in deeper

That's hilarious! He's only been here 4 games! 4 games!

And he sees the problem immediately.

(Like the Leafs were great with the small players retrieving pucks behind the opposition icing line.)

Jason Spezza is the boy who finally said . . . "but the Emperor has no clothes".

Watch, two things will happen now.

1. Babcock will play him a lot more.

2. Dubas will try to trade Spezza out of here as fast as he can.

Puck possession is real. When the Detroit Red Wings were winning cups (one with Babcock), their ability to hold the puck and make plays was a thing to behold. Whether it was the ability to kick it back to Lidstrom and Rafalski, or watch the Russian Five pass it around, I always wanted to see the Leafs pattern themselves that way.

Right now, the weakness to the puck possession theory is the puck recovery portion of the program. It sucks. You can chip and chase and dump and chase, but without a certain amount of puck retrievers and diggers on the forward group or those "long defensemen" on the defensive side, it doesn't work the way it ought to.

The Leafs need to be better balanced. That's one key takeaway if they're learning from the Raptors. You need skilled players but you also need the versatility to play the game in all situations in all styles reasonably comfortably. We aren't looking for a return to Anaheim 2007 but we also need to make sure we aren't sending out a bunch of 5'9"-5'10" wingers to get shut down by 6'4"-6'5" defensemen.

 

[Stephen]

Imo if Kapenen has another lack luster offensive game, I'd try Spezza with Marner and Tavares to try to get them going. Lets see what he's got left in the tank when he's got talent to play with.

The 3rd line has been good, the 2nd and 4th line need some tinkering with Hyman out.

I would just split up Tavares and Marner altogether and have them each pilot their own lines.

I could see Tavares and Mikheyev forming a nice grinding cycle unit with good net front presence and I could see Marner on a line with Moore and Kerfoot and push the speed game. Mix it up.

 

[Maple Leaf]

Perhaps promote hm to coachs corner

 

[kb]

I would just split up Tavares and Marner altogether and have them each pilot their own lines.

I could see Tavares and Mikheyev forming a nice grinding cycle unit with good net front presence and I could see Marner on a line with Moore and Kerfoot and push the speed game. Mix it up.

I think it is as simple as getting Hyman back for that line. He's taken a ton of crap on these boards for years, but he truth of the matter is that whatever line he is on proves to be the best line on the team. For 2 years with Matthews/Nylander, and last year with Tavares/Marner.

It's not just coincidence.

Having said that, I would set up the top 3 lines this way if at all possible...

Hyman - Tavares - Marner
Mikheyev - Matthews - Nylander
Johnsson - Kerfoot - Moore/Kapanen

 

[IPS]

It's funny when fans are flipping about about Marleau's use in the playoffs.
Even-strength, he had one less point then Matthews and was even with Marner.
The only difference was, Marleau managed to be on for more goals scored for then against.
He only had one give-away during the playoffs and went 62.2% on the faceoff dot.
Matthews was on for three goals against, Marner on for two.... it gets hard for a
coach to keep on going with that, especially seeing them get burned by non-star
players.

Unreal how stupid Dubas is.

A 700K player brings more effectiveness on ice than the guy he signed for 11.7M for 5 years. Fire this idiot now.