Spezza's Role & Capabilities

[Steeler]

I saw the thread a few days back wondering if Spezza was a top 30 player. Along those lines, is Spezza the type of player that a team can ride with him generating the points, or is he a super talented complimentary player. Wondering if he has lost his 80-100 point potential with Heatley gone, and will now be a consistent 70 point man. Perhaps the same would hold true for Backstrom if he did not hve the luxery of Ovie or Semin, the real snipers.

[andrewklassen]

I like Spezza as a top 30 player easily and 'NO' I don't classify him as complimentary. A. MacDonald is complimentary IMO...top line player, but around 70 points unless he's playing alongside a superstar and they develop chemistry.

Spezza should regularly still hit 80-90 points [with potential for more]. He's facing several challenges right now, a] trying to develop new chemistry with less talented linemantes, b] still acclimatizing to a new coach and system, and c] playing on a team that really lacks legitimate puck-moving D options to generate quick break-outs from their own end, odd man rush opportunities, and quarterback their PP. These are reasons the team as a whole is struggling and Spezza is simply part of that. He was never dependant on Heatley for his points. If anything, I'd like to see how much Heatley would score without a set-up man like Spezza or Thornton.

Cheers.

[One Man Wolf Pack]

I am wondering the same thing about Spezza. On my leagues draft day I traded M. Richards for Spezza and a 4th round pick (landed Goligoski with that one). Almost immediately after my trade went down, Heatley was dealt to SJ. I was completely disgusted with the deal and still am to this day. Is there hope for Spezza to return to previous form? Will this deal ever work out in my favor? I let my favorite NHLer (Richards) go as I was concerned at that point about his health coming off double shoulder surgery....I am still having trouble sleeping at night over this one. I do like Goligoski though, just not sure about the future of Spezza.

Would love to hear what others think about him...

[berni67]

Why don't we talk about other players who have some slow start like Staal, Getzlaf, Iginla and even Luongo? Those guys are all superstars, and I'm confident that Spezza will get his 80+pts for long.

[mabus]

This is an interesting time for Spezza and his owners. If you are a believer, now is probably the best time to buy him. Unfortunately, if you believe in his skills, you probably already own him. The only reason I own him is because his value dropped so much since last year. Unfortunately for me, his value has only gone down since I grabbed him. I don't think he'll get to 80 points this year, but he has too much potential to trade for anyone else that will get less than 80 (unless you can find a disgruntled Lecavalier owner).

Mabus

[SirKnight]

I have been trying to trade for him in my league for about three years... The guy just won't let him go. I am starting to wonder if its one of those "Better off not making the trade kind of deals..." Still like him though.

[MrQuacky]

From what I've heard, Spezza has looked great recently
I haven't caught any Sens games, but I've read that his 4 points aren't really an accurate reflection of his play and he's been robbed of a few
Apparently this years Spezza is playing with a certain edge that's been lacking in his game in recent years . . . any Sens fans able to confirm or deny this?
The points should come