Speculating Spezza

Every player wants his shot at the cup. 

It's been a few days since Ottawa Senators' Captain Jason Spezza asked to be traded, and it's since emerged that he's given the Sens a list of ten teams he doesn't want to go to. The actual list hasn't been released, but which teams should be queuing up their cheque books to sign Spezza? Given the fact that Jason has never won anything of note with the Sens, he's going to be looking for a team that's had recent success. So that pretty much rules out all but one of the Canadian teams:

Montreal Canadiens

The Habs might not have lifted the Stanley Cup since 1993 but if Spezza wants to stay north of the border then the NHL's winningest team are the best option. The real question is are the Habs interested in Spezza? There's no doubt that he's a quality center, guaranteed to bring home at least a point per game, but unless he's willing to settle for a place on the third or fourth line, there's little point in staying in considering the Habs.

Anaheim Ducks

The smart choice for Spezza would be Anaheim, as the Ottawa Citizen paper reports, there's potentially a good trade to be made. Remember Senators GM Bryan Murray has openly said it's important that the teams get their money's worth in any trade that may take place. 

Would Anaheim be a good fit for Spezza? Sure. He already knows he's gonna have to abandon the captaincy, but he'd fit in quite nicely on the second line. It's been a few years since the Ducks lifted the cup, but that doesn't mean they're not capable of challenging. Adding Spezza to the roster could certainly strengthen those chances.

St. Louis Blues

According to Ken Warren, the Blues are considered another favourite team to pick up the newly available Spezza. Although perhaps not top of the list for Spezza himself. Remember that he has cup ambitions and not only have the Blues never lifted the cup, but recently haven't been able to get past the playoff quarter finals. 

That said, Ken Hitchcock is doing good work with the Blues, and it's not crazy to say that Spezza could make the difference. He'd slot straight into the roster, providing a realistic challenge to David Backes for the first offensive line.