The Ottawa Senators have not discussed trading captain Jason Spezza, according to the team’s general manager Bryan Murray.
Murray quelled rumours that began circulating online Monday by telling reporters that Spezza’s name has not come up.
“The thing that really bothers me — I’ve got all kinds of calls on [Spezza] now and texts on that now — is some guy that I don’t know has put it out on Twitter that we’re shopping Jason Spezza. Everybody in the world now, every media guy, grabs that and goes with that,” Murray said. “I had one guy ask if I want to comment to quiet the rumours, and I said, ‘No, I’m not going to.’ The more I say about it, the more it’s going to be played over and over in the next couple of days. I’ll just say that we have not talked, at this point in time, about Jason Spezza.”
In 56 games this season, Spezza has 15 goals, 46 points and a minus-24 rating. He was drafted second overall by the Sens in 2001 and has spent his entire 11-season NHL career with the team. In 667 career regular-season games, the 30-year-old has 243 goals and 667 points. He has added 52 points in 56 playoff games.
In other Sens news, Murray confirmed the team has offered veteran defenceman Chris Phillips a one-year contract. The 35-year-old is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and is reportedly seeking a multi-year deal.
According to ESPN, the Boston Bruins have inquired about Phillips’ services. In 51 games this season, Phillips has 13 points, 22 penalty minutes and a minus-6 rating.
The trade deadline is at 3 p.m. ET Wednesday. On Sunday, prior to the Heritage Classic in Vancouver, Sens owner Eugene Melnyk told CBC: “We’re easily considered a buyer… we’re definitely not sellers.”
