The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

There will be no last minute attempts on July 1, 2008 to ensure the Ottawa Senators star center reaches a deal before being offered a lucrative contract by another NHL squad.

A new 7 year, $49 million deal signed by Jason Spezza to keep him a Senator until he's 32 years old shows once again Eugene Melnyk is willing to spend to keep his team a contender and contend for the Stanley Cup as long as he can. Funny how a team on the brink of bankruptcy almost four years ago can suddenly afford a near $50 million payroll and sign potential future hall-of-famers to their roster. It's mind-boggling to try to figure out, but as a fan I don't care, it's certainly an exciting time to be a Senators fan.

The big problem now for GM Bryan Murray is how he'll fill out the rest of his roster for next season. 13 players are under contract for a total of about $41 million next year, and if you figure one of Emery or Gerber will be playing for someone else, that means about $13 million needs to be doled out for the other 10 or so players. Meszaros, Kelly, Vermette will all be seeking new contracts, and they won't be taking a pay cut.

Looks like the fall guy will be Wade Redden.

Redden is playing a lot better than he has last year, coming off his worst professional NHL season making the most money out of the entire team @ $6.5 million dollars. Will he take a pay cut to play for Ottawa next year? I doubt it. There's a good chance Redden will be donning a new sweater after the season is finished and Ottawa will bring up one of it's rookies (likely Brian Lee) to play for the Sens. It's simple math: they can't afford to keep them all.

But that's something to worry about later. Ottawa has the best line in hockey: Heatley, Spezza and Alfredsson, locked up for a few more years which will guarantee a competitive team each night and many great hockey memories for fans to look forward to.