Preds acquire Mike Fisher for 2011 1st Round Pick + Condition 2012 pick!

SpezDispenser wrote:

rooneypoo wrote:
"One of the top scoring centres in the league"?

When's the last time Spezza even entered the top 100 in terms of points per year among NHL centres? 2008-09? Why do people refuse to see this? Spezza's point totals have been on the decline for four straight years, and he hasn't been a PPG or better player since 2007-08. 2007-08! Four years ago? Come on! Phillips has one bad season & he's done; Spezza has four years of systematic decline in terms of his offensive production, & he's the same player? WTF?

If point-production is the number one thing when it comes to justifying Spezza's role on this team, then the numbers don't justify much of anything at all.

If you're arguing that the Tin Man is the heart & soul of this team, & it's true leader, well, that's another matter.

Spezza = impact player, scoring or not, he's a threat

Phillips = when he's not a defensive D-man, it's a clustercuss.

This was precisely the same argument used in defense of Kovalev. Just saying.

rooneypoo wrote:This was precisely the same argument used in defense of Kovalev. Just saying.

Nothing like the threat Spezza is, not in his time in Ottawa. I can buy that he took some of the defenders' attention off his team mates, but very seldom can I recall him not scoring and still being a threat the way Spezza is.

Spezza talk again? I thought when his NTC kicked in we all agreed that he was here for the long haul?

I don't see a deal that makes any sense unless the Sens are actually interested in blowing it up "5 year plan" style (which I'm not convinced is gonna be the road taken).

stempniaksen wrote:Spezza talk again? I thought when his NTC kicked in we all agreed that he was here for the long haul?

I don't see a deal that makes any sense unless the Sens are actually interested in blowing it up "5 year plan" style (which I'm not convinced is gonna be the road taken).

LOL. This is the really funny thing. I AM a (reluctant) Spezza supporter. I'm the one who advocated that we need to be on board supporting Spezza after 1 July 2010, because after that we're (to my mind) stuck with him.

That said, that doesn't mean I'm going to sit here and let people lie to my face or anyone else's. Spezza was ONCE, but right now he is NOT a "PPG player" or "one of the top scoring centres in the league." Spin it anyway you want, but he hasn't been either of those things since 2007-08.

Is Spezza the centre of & a key catalyst in our current offense? Yes. Has that offense been woeful & underwhelming? Yes, & that's in part on him. Has Spezza improved his all around game in the last two years? Yes. Is he still highly prone to rookie mistakes & boneheaded plays? Yes, for sure. Is Spezza part of the core of this team & probably a (future) leader? Yes, esp. now that Fisher is gone & Phillips may be too. Is Spezza a defacto leader or a true leader? The jury is definitely out on that one, & there's a lot of evidence against him to the contrary. I'm wiling to give him the chance to earn it, but I'm not going to sit here & have people tell me that he already has, because he hasn't.

Don't make the guy out to be something other than what he is, & I won't have to step in to stop people from lying about it.

The way things are going down, I'm becoming of the opinion that Phillips will be moved before the deadline, and in the summer he's more likely to sign out West, to be closer to his family. Maybe "uncle Rod" (Oilers' radio broadcaster Rod Phillips) will convince him to spend his last couple of seasons mentoring Larsson in Edmonton

That video clip of Murray taking Alfie and Spezza aside when Fisher got traded really makes me think that Phillips will be moved. He's out of the "inner circle" now, and how can Murray make a deal to trade him now and get him back in the summer, if Murray himself is not going to be around?

Anyone know if Fisher cleared up the Visa issues and will be in the Preds line-up tonight?

wprager wrote:The way things are going down, I'm becoming of the opinion that Phillips will be moved before the deadline, and in the summer he's more likely to sign out West, to be closer to his family. Maybe "uncle Rod" (Oilers' radio broadcaster Rod Phillips) will convince him to spend his last couple of seasons mentoring Larsson in Edmonton

That video clip of Murray taking Alfie and Spezza aside when Fisher got traded really makes me think that Phillips will be moved. He's out of the "inner circle" now, and how can Murray make a deal to trade him now and get him back in the summer, if Murray himself is not going to be around?

By that rationale, does that also mean Spezza not only won't be moved but is now part of the inner circle? It's certainly curious that Phillips was absent, but there are literally dozens of reasons he wasn't standing there at that exact moment.

wprager wrote:The way things are going down, I'm becoming of the opinion that Phillips will be moved before the deadline, and in the summer he's more likely to sign out West, to be closer to his family. Maybe "uncle Rod" (Oilers' radio broadcaster Rod Phillips) will convince him to spend his last couple of seasons mentoring Larsson in Edmonton

That video clip of Murray taking Alfie and Spezza aside when Fisher got traded really makes me think that Phillips will be moved. He's out of the "inner circle" now, and how can Murray make a deal to trade him now and get him back in the summer, if Murray himself is not going to be around?

There was also an article in the Sun today about his father Garth being hospitalized in Calgary; Poor Garth's been having a tough time

Why would Spezza be traded though? That makes no sense. Trading Fisher does not equate to trading Spezza. Obviously Murray et al thought that Fisher was no longer a need player and they felt that someone else could perform that role at a less of a cost to them. Who can Ottawa say they have or can go and trade for or sign, that a) would not cost them a lot to acquire, b) and that can replace Spezza?

The answer is nobody. Ottawa's poised to stock up on prospects, and if they are able to get a guy, say Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who has the potential to possibly be a top line center in the NHL, he is far away from being that, and even then, it would be much better to have 2 guys like that (Spezza included).

Funny how some can hate on Spezza yet defend Phillips.

Dash wrote:Why would Spezza be traded though? That makes no sense. Trading Fisher does not equate to trading Spezza. Obviously Murray et al thought that Fisher was no longer a need player and they felt that someone else could perform that role at a less of a cost to them. Who can Ottawa say they have or can go and trade for or sign, that a) would not cost them a lot to acquire, b) and that can replace Spezza?

The answer is nobody. Ottawa's poised to stock up on prospects, and if they are able to get a guy, say Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who has the potential to possibly be a top line center in the NHL, he is far away from being that, and even then, it would be much better to have 2 guys like that (Spezza included).

Funny how some can hate on Spezza yet defend Phillips.

Goddamit, I'm NOT hating on Spezza, I'm trying to get people to stop lying about him and misrepresenting him to us & to themselves. I'm NOT arguing to trade Spezza, either. After 1 July 2010, I thought it very unlikely to happen. After Fisher is gone, I think it less likely than ever to happen.

What's funny around here is how I can point out a plain-as-day fact -- Spezza has NOT been anything like a "top producing centre" for three years now & that his point totals have been on the steady decline for four year now -- and I'm labeled everything from a stats guy (which I'm not; someone else made the stats claim, I refuted it) to a Spezza hater. Can some one please tell me how we can call a guy a "top producing centre" & a "PPG player" when he hasn't been either of those things for three full seasons? Or how a point total pattern of 92, 73, 57, 22 (currently) is not evidence of a decline in his offensive production?

Why is that half of this forum goes off its Cussing rocker & purposefully misinterprets a poster every time some one notes that Spezza isn't the second coming of Jesus Christ & the sun shining down on our fair city, all rolled up in one neat little package? Engage with WHAT I'M ACTUALLY ARGUING, not the positions you're assigning to me.

back to the trade. great deal for us, and the start of many trades to come. ottawa shows some class the the rest of the NHL and trades Fisher to the destination of his choice.

Straight Shooter wrote:back to the trade. great deal for us, and the start of many trades to come. ottawa shows some class the the rest of the NHL and trades Fisher to the destination of his choice.

They did that for Heatley too.

Straight Shooter wrote:back to the trade. great deal for us, and the start of many trades to come. ottawa shows some class the the rest of the NHL and trades Fisher to the destination of his choice.

I like it because Fisher is a great player + great human being, but I can't help hoping we didn't leave anything on the table from LA or Carolina.

SpezDispenser wrote:

Straight Shooter wrote:back to the trade. great deal for us, and the start of many trades to come. ottawa shows some class the the rest of the NHL and trades Fisher to the destination of his choice.

I like it because Fisher is a great player + great human being, but I can't help hoping we didn't leave anything on the table from LA or Carolina.

Nothing official was said but apparently it was essentially the same offers from all 3.

Let's face it, we're talking about 2 years AFTER this season still owing on this contract. He wasn't getting better either so the outcome would have been him walking for nothing or being traded for less.

The ideal would have been to sell high last season if there was deal to be had but this pick is fine and even a pretty high return IMO when you consider the term left on an expensive deal.

SeawaySensFan wrote:
Nothing official was said but apparently it was essentially the same offers from all 3.

Let's face it, we're talking about 2 years AFTER this season still owing on this contract. He wasn't getting better either so the outcome would have been him walking for nothing or being traded for less.

The ideal would have been to sell high last season if there was deal to be had but this pick is fine and even a pretty high return IMO when you consider the term left on an expensive deal.

The same from all 3? Then it's a slam dunk (except for Carolina's 1st, but whatever). It's 4 mil in real cash next year, then 3 the year after, that's pretty fair market value for Fisher IMO, but...this year he's been a 2.5 guy.

SpezDispenser wrote:

Straight Shooter wrote:back to the trade. great deal for us, and the start of many trades to come. ottawa shows some class the the rest of the NHL and trades Fisher to the destination of his choice.

I like it because Fisher is a great player + great human being, but I can't help hoping we didn't leave anything on the table from LA or Carolina.

What were they offering? I havent read anything on HB or spector or chirp that says what they were offering. I'm happy with the deal, no need to second guess anything.

There ya have it. Same offers all around so good for Ottawa to show class and trade him to Nashville.