He's a quality player with a new team, who has, so far, proved entirely worthy of the moderate bounty given up to acquire him.
But could Jason Spezza's brand-spanking-new four-year, $30 million contract extension, which features a no-trade clause, actually be an incredibly poor investment for the Dallas Stars?
That's the very argument Matt Larkin of The Hockey News is making in an article released today.
The 31-year-old Spezza, brought over in trade with the Ottawa Senators along with prospect Ludwig Karlsson this summer in exchange for Alex Chiasson, Nicholas Paul, Alex Guptill and a 2015 second-round draft pick, according to ESPN, has been a good get thus far, managing 18 points in 20 games.
But he's an older player and has suffered a number of serious injuries in his career. He tore his MCL in 2010, missed 15 games in 2011 because of a shoulder injury and was absent for almost the entirety of the 2012-13 season with a back injury. Last season with Ottawa, he missed a relatively short seven games.
Larkin also takes issue with the cap hit on his new deal, $7.5 million, annually. Usually, locking up a player long-term early on in their tenure means something of a savings for the team - that isn't the case here. Spezza got a lot of money and a lot of protection.
Dallas has been performing well below expectation thus far this season. Spezza, who would have been an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, could have been a major potential trade piece, possibly bringing back defensive help, if the team continues its run of poor play.
Spezza is a quality player that most teams would be glad to have in the fold on a long-term basis, but if he gets injured or the Stars continue to founder, his age and cap hit are going to look less and less appealing as the years wear on.
