With the first round of the draft going by the wayside Friday night without a deal for Jason Spezza going down, don’t expect one any time soon.
While Ottawa Senators GM Bryan Murray told NHL.com after the first round that he would still eagerly listen to offers for the captain of his team, the urgency is no longer there because the first round pick can no longer be on the table, unless it is a player that was already selected that is included in the deal.
Now, the Senators will most likely have to wait until after the free agent frenzy dies down, and the free agent centres like Paul Stastny, Mike Ribeiro, and Mikhail Grabovski sign. While the likes of Ribeiro, who is being bought out by the Dallas Stars as we speak, and Grabovski might not be as skilled or as valuable as Spezza, they will certainly come cheaper, with more favorable term, and won’t involve assets moving the other way.
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Once that dust settles, then the teams still looking for help in their top 6 up the middle and that have the cap space available and the assets to deal in return, could take Murray up on the offer.
The Senators already know they can’t win the Spezza trade, and it will be a very frustrating waiting game for the deal to happen. It is one the Senators will have to play or risk getting absolutely robbed if they aren’t patient enough.