Despite minimal ice-time, it was Jason Spezza rallying the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 4-3 comeback win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5.
For the Toronto Maple Leafs it highlights something they already know. A veteran like Jason Spezza is a key locker room voice.
It’s telling that on the same day one-time Leafs locker-room veteran Patrick Marleau retired, another of his vintage was issuing the teams call to fightback.
In the Kyle Dubas era, perhaps no signing has offered as much value as the league minimum deal that Jason Spezza is signed to.
Jason Spezza is Vital to the Toronto Maple Leafs
Last spring, he stepped up for the team in a big way after John Tavares’ injury with minutes above his now usual fourth line remit.
This year, he’s seeing limited ice-time but is still a valuable asset on the second powerplay unit. In fact in this game, he saw under 6 minutes of ice-time; a number low enough to believe that he was in the dog house.
However, that is absolutely not the case – it simply reflected the desire to give Marner and Matthews as much ice as possible. Spezza, ever the veteran, we’re sure wouldn’t be asking for a second more.
His true value is where he’s stepping up as a defacto assistant coach, albeit one that can make his words count with action on the ice. It’s telling that it was Jason Spezza chatting to Jack Campbell after the Toronto Maple Leafs goalie got beaten by Victor Herman to give Tampa a two-goal early lead.
It’s absolutely vital that someone does this as it likely calmed Campbell and allowed him to mentally reset. If he doesn’t do that and start pulling out the saves he did, the Leafs don’t win that game.
Likewise, it’s telling that, as we’ve heard from numerous sources, it was Jason Spezza that spoke up in the first intermission. On the back of his words, the whole team looked vastly different in the second and third periods to the group that looks so lost in the first period.
Kyle Dubas clearly knows that a veteran adds value even if they’re taking Ice-Time from prospects left to linger a little longer with the Marlies. Before him, it was Patrick Marleau and last year, it was Joe Thornton as well as Jason Spezza.
The need for that steadying voice but also one that has been around long enough to have the locker room’s respect is proving vital.
Sheldon Keefe would be wise to leave any pep talk ahead of Game 6 in Tampa down to Jason Spezza. While he may not be the first name on the team sheet these days, he still brings so much to the table.
Indeed if the Toronto Maple Leafs are able to rally around him and whatever he said in the first period intermission; they have every chance of finally getting out of the first round.
He may not have scored a point yet this series but he certainly has an assist to his name on this particular Toronto Maple Leafs win.