It appeared a forgone conclusion and Chris Johnston reported it today, ex Toronto Maple Leafs forward and assist general manager Jason Spezza signed on with the Pittsburgh Penguins Wednesday morning to work in the front office.
The decision comes just weeks after Spezza stepped down as his role as special assistant to the general manager in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization.
Spezza had been hired a year previous to work under Kyle Dubas, however after it was announced the club was not going to move forward with Dubas in that role, Spezza handed in his resignation.
The Toronto born native signed on as a player for the 2019-20 season after 16 years playing for the Ottawa Senators and the Dallas Stars.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Jason Spezza Joins Kyle Dubas in Pittsburgh
Spezza would be a fan favourite as his bled blue and always appeared to put the crest on his chest in front of anything else. Over three years with the team, Spezza collected 31 goals and 80 points in 183 games; not bad for a guy making the league minimum.
The former second overall pick would finish his career after the 2021-22 season just five points shy of 1,000.
When he first took on the role as special assistant to Kyle Dubas, it was unclear what area in the off-ice management roles he was going to direct his career to be, but some thought he may eventually become the heir to Dubas.
Spezza was often seen alongside Dubas in the managers box at games and the two appeared to become very close, so when Dubas took the job in Pittsburgh many believed that Spezza would be right behind him.
It turns out that they were right.
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced that Jason Spezza would serve as Assistant General Manager, which is a more distinctive title than what he had in Toronto.
The Penguins press release states that Spezza will report directly to Dubas. As stated in the press release, Spezza is already familiar with some of the staff in the organization as he has previously been teammates with Player Development staff member Matt Cullen and Hockey Operations Advisor Trevor Daley.
Spezza becomes the third staff member as former assistant coach Spencer Carbery took the head coaching role with the Washington Capitals.
With Spezza now joining Dubas in Pittsburgh, the question is who is next from the Toornto Maple Leafs organization?