Montreal Canadiens: A Thumbs Down to Spezza and Iginla
By Omar L
There may be some movement with players such as Jarome Iginla or Jason Spezza, and it makes you think whether the Montreal Canadiens should be in on them.
The Hockey Night in Canada is always the place to get your fix on NHL news on Saturday nights. It’s funny if you think about it because the majority of the panel talk this week could have a possible tie to the Montreal Canadiens.
Things started with an arbitrator decision regarding a Jonathan Drouin performance that he thought he earned last season with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Thankfully it looks like that’s all cleared. Then we got to the juicy stuff with Jarome Iginla and Jason Spezza.
A lot of us have had Iginla as a lock to play for Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics, but according to Nick Kypreos, that doesn’t look to be the case. According to Nick Kypreos, the 40-year-old wants to return to the NHL and South Korea is not a priority. Spezza hasn’t been able to generate that much offence with Dallas so far considering he scored his first goal of the season on Friday. Trade rumours started to heat up but have since died down. However, there’s always a possibility of a trade.
There have been some on social media who believe that one or both of these players would be decent additions to the Montreal Canadiens. Perhaps, but I still give double thumbs down to this idea.
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Iginla has a lot of qualities that could fit on the Habs. Remember last season when acquiring size and grit was a top priority? The team could get that in adding a player like Iginla. Unfortunately, age has depleted the strength and skating tank a little bit.
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Iginla had a total of 14 goals and 13 assists in 80 games between the Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings. Keep in mind, that was the historically bad Colorado Avalanche. Iginla scored 22 goals and 25 assists the season before which is a way better total. There is a possibility that he can pull a Jaromir Jagr and produce at his age with the right fit and reduced minutes.
I don’t think it’s worth the risk though. Marc Bergevin took a chance with another aging veteran Mark Streit, and we all know how that turned out. They’re different players, but this may be the low-risk high-reward deal the Montreal Canadiens should avoid.
“It’s a No for Me” (American Idol)
Spezza coming over is a no for so many reasons. First off, his contract. The 34-year-old has another two years on his deal which has him making $7.5 million. Now some of you may be thinking, “but Omar, the Habs have all that cap space,” and you would be right to say that trusted reader.
However, the cap space has taken a dip with the number of call-ups the Habs have had recently. Even still, $7.5 million for a center who is struggling offensively and playing on the wing is a tough sell. Then you’d have to think about what kind of return Dallas would be asking for, and that could be another mess. Would you be willing to give up Phillip Danault? I wouldn’t be surprised if he would be one of the players of interest going the other way.
Finally, Spezza would have a say in where he goes anyway with his no-movement-clause. Even if Jim Nill decides to move him, he has to sign off on it if they destination ends up being Montreal. There are just too many cons and technicalities that don’t make sense here.
Do you think the Habs should be in on one of these two players? How would they fit, and regarding Spezza, what would have to go the other way? Let us know in the comments.