The Toronto Maple Leafs have today announced the re-signing of veteran forward Jason Spezza to a new one-year deal.
Jason Spezza will don a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey once again next season after it was announced that the 37-year-old forward had agreed to a one-year deal that will pay him $700,000.
The Toronto native will return to the Scotiabank Arena for a second consecutive season after the veteran impressed during his 58-game spell with the club during the 2019/20 regular season.
After some early difficulties with then-head coach Mike Babcock, Spezza showed his quality and cemented his position with the Leafs line-up to become a regular along the fourth line – providing some real value across the season.
Spezza Key To Leafs Depth
After struggling to find a place in the roster under Babcock, Spezza demonstrated that he was still an NHL quality player with smooth hands and possessed a scoring and playmaking touch that helped the team on the back end.
Across his 58 regular-season games, Spezza scored nine goals and had 25 total points while averaging just 10:50 while on the ice – which placed Spezza as the tenth-highest points producer on the team last season. (Stats via Hockey Reference)
Via Sportsnet Stats, Spezza’s points per 60 and goals per 60 actually ranked fourth on the team – extremely positive production from a player on the fourth line.
Spezza’s veteran leadership is important for the Leafs moving forward, as Sheldon Keefe’s side are still on the young side, led by young superstars such as Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander.
He returned to his home town with hopes of competing for the Stanley Cup and has shown a willingness to do what he can for the team to achieve its goals, especially when it comes to taking a low-cost contract that helps with their current cap crunch.
Spezza is the second player to sign a league-minimum $700,000 contract in recent days, after Denis Malgin signed his own one-year extension this past weekend, with the Leafs needing to fill out the bottom end of their depth chart with similar deals that allow them to ice a competitive team with some of the best top-end talent in the league.
With the flat salary cap expected to last for the next two seasons at least, adding veterans such as Spezza that still have plenty to offer on the ice, as well as off it, for less than $1 million apiece is a smart business move from general manager Kyle Dubas – who will have a player that wants to be a part of the team and can give them depth scoring and playmaking, but for a fraction of the cost of some available free agents.
Spezza’s return is a positive one, as he became popular with the fans and has shown that he is willing to work with the team’s young guys and help guide them towards achieving their potential in the league – as demonstrated with Nick Robertson prior to the return to play back in July.
With the 2020 NHL Draft and free agency set to take place this week, we can expect much more movement from the Toronto Maple Leafs, but this particular deal is one that fans and players alike will be satisfied with.