N4L wrote: asq2 wrote: N4L wrote:It's not about depth, it's not about stats, it's not even about production (like I have said before) its about effort, leadership, and determination.
Name one successful team that didn't have top production or depth (and didn't have Patrick Roy or a similar calibre of gaoltending). Plenty of ECHL teams have effort, leadership and determination. We like Jonathan Cheechoo because he works hard, but pretty clearly that's not the only thing that matters. You have to have some productive contribution.
For the record, I'm not entirely disagreeing with you.
I just think we're underestimating the importance of a number 1 centre and jumping the gun in saying Fisher is one. Spezza was our best forward and easily one of the top-10 centres earlier this season. Since he won't return a number one centre at the moment, since we can't count on getting a number one centre at the draft, and since we can't get a number one centre via UFA, I think the best way to go is to do everything in our power to get Spezza to return to the form he was at earlier this season.
Don't trade him for scraps until you've exhausted every other option. I'm struggling to see how you could disagree with this without having some sort of personal dislike for Spezza. You've mentioned Boston's success post-Thornton but that was requisite on them being able to replace him with Savard and Chara. That's not exactly an easy task to duplicate.
Im not conviced 100% Fisher is a true number 1, however I am convinced that Spezza is not. Every day of the week I'll take a team of Mike Fishers over a team of Jason Spezza's, I said that before Fisher got off to this start and was playing as well as he has been.
We may not need to replace Spezza which is the good thing, you have guys who can step up here already, will they be as good as Savard? Probably not, but there are WAY better options then Spezza out there for a lot less then 7 mil.
Fisher has been this teams best forward since the start of camp, Spezza, like he always does didnt get his production through hard work and his game goes to Dung.
Spezza is not a number 1 center, he's a number one center with a 33 year old Alfi and a 25 year old Heatley ripping up The NHL.
Long story short, Fisher, number 1 center or not brings more to the team then Spezza does. Spezza will never hit the number he did when he was 22, 23 ever again, nooooo shot in hell.
While I don't wholly agree with your take on Spezza, I do agree with several of your thoughts on various subjects---be they his play, the play of others, the potential and performance of the team, etc.
I think it makes a lot more sense to take him right off of the first line. The first line should be the line that is the most productive, which is generally the line that is highest paid, with the most "name" talent. While Spezza has the name, the talent, and the price tag, obviously he's not living up to the tag of "#1 center." We all know the most productive just from looking at the stats sheet and it's not all that difficult to imagine Michalek, Fisher, and Alfredsson finding some nice chemistry. Clouston may have a directive to force certain pegs into certain holes, which would explain why he's so insistent on pairing Michalek and Spezza, but at some point, the standings need to take precedence. Getting the three most productive players to play together seems like an obvious decision...
As for Spezza, you pair him with another couple of letdowns in Cheechoo and Kovalev and just let them be there when they want to be there...who gives a Dung, as long as you're not relying on them. Is it coincidence that in the majority of the games where Spezza and his linemates have scored, the other lines haven't and we've lost? Is it happenstance that this has occured for the better part of two years now? I can't say for sure, but somehow I think any team relying on Spezza is doomed to fail.
Regardless of an individual's take on the situation, there's no disputing that this team has been struggling for a long time and that Spezza has been as inconsistent and unreliable as any player on the team. My vote is to give him a couple of short-term teammates for linemates and weigh your options at the draft, with yet another season of proof to support the theory that he has no place on a consistently hard working team. Worst case is he's traded for less than he could have been in the summer of 07...
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