Never Easy For General Manager Bryan Murray; Spezza Stirring Up Déjà Vu

Some general managers just can’t catch a break. Ottawa Senators’ head honcho Bryan Murray is the epitome of that. After going through hell just one year ago unloading Dany Heatley when the star winger demanded to get out of Ottawa – but only to San Jose, Murray may just be in another tough position this summer with top offensive weapon.

Murray is faced with a tough decision as it pertains to the future of disgruntled center Jason Spezza. Spezza was far from thrilled with another early postseason exit by the Senators. He met with Murray to discuss his displeasure over this second first round loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in three years, as well as being unappreciative of being the whipping boy for fans and the media. There was speculation that Spezza requested a trade, but Murray claims he did not specifically ask to be dealt. He just isn’t against the notion.

“He said he wouldn’t object to it,” Murray said. “He didn’t come in and say, ‘I have to be traded.’ He didn’t object to the fact that maybe it’s time - the way (he’s) been received - now maybe it’s time.”

Murray doesn’t want to trade his team’s No. 1 center, and the fact that Spezza has not demanded a trade means he has less pressure to do so than last year with Heatley. However, it’s not a wise idea to have an unhappy player on the roster, especially one as important as Spezza. Trading a player with his level of talent could net some big rewards in the form of players that will actually embrace an opportunity with the Senators.

The $35 million over five years remaining on Spezza’s contract is not that easy to move, though. A contract with a $7 million cap hit and actual salary of $8 million in each of the next three years is very rich in this NHL. It could force even the most interested suitors to look elsewhere for help down the middle.

If Murray is going to act, he must do so quickly. The 27-year old has a no-trade clause that kicks in on July 1. And while Spezza indicated that he won’t necessarily block a trade, Murray does not want to end up in a position again where he must target only those teams of interest to the player. Right, Murray has a field of 29 teams to play with.

In an ideal world, where Murray’s sanity and the loyalty of about a dozen Spezza fans who chose to rally for him were taken into consideration, this would all just blow over and Spezza would get himself geared up for another year in a Senators sweater. But Ottawa has a bad history with this type of situation, and you can bet that Murray will do his darndest to learn what the market has to offer. And if a good enough deal comes his way, he likely won’t hesitate to pull the trigger on another star name.