You Could Get With This, Or You Could Get With That

Well, I don't want to be compared to Eklund, the embattled Hockey Buzz blogger who throws out insane rumours, so I will start with a disclaimer: there has been no talk, and virtually no chance of what I am about to write will end up as fact. I have written pieces on how the Rangers could actually acquire Alex Ovechkin and Matt Schneider but this has no basis in reality. If anything it serves to compare two good players. So close your eyes, take a deep breath and then imagine the next line coming across the Garden P.A.

"And starting at center for your New York Rangers, number nine ... JASON SPEZZA!!!!!"

Spezza spoke with David Amber in an interview for ESPN.com's Facing Off:

Q: If you didn't play in Ottawa, where do you think you would have the best time being Jason Spezza, NHL star?
A: Well, Jason Spezza, "the NHL star," would have to be somewhere else in Canada -- Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver -- just because you get recognized. But I think I would like to play in New York. It's a city I really like, there is so much going on, there are so many places to hide and do your own thing. Sometimes, the celebrity aspect is nice, but a lot of times it's nice to hide, too. So I think New York is a place where I'd love to play, and we play there a lot every year, so I go there quite a bit.

Q: So I guess Rangers fans have to wait seven years for you?
A: [Laughs] That's right.

That seven years is when Spetz will become a free agent after signing a $49 million contract extension. The funny thing is that those silly Canadians have questioned whether he is worth a deal of that scope. Well, I think that anyone who has watched Ottawa play since the lockout will say yes. Now here comes that player comparison part I mentioned. Scott Gomez signed a deal for the same length but for just two mill more. No one questioned the size of his deal. Why not? Now, say Gomez doesn't settle down his *alleged* partying ways. Say Jagr leaves town after the year. So ... I think a swap could be in order!

Gomez is better in his own zone (thank you Devils) but doesn't have as good a shot as Spezza (thank you wood stick manufacturers). So let's give Spetz a chance to do his own thing. The Rangers would get a younger player (three and a half years) while the Sens would get a two-time Stanley Cup champion - something that really could have helped them not get spanked by Anaheim last year. Losing the Cup experience could hurt New York, but we would still have Captain Clutch Chris Drury. And Spetz averages almost 1.1 points per game, while Gomez is at 0.8.

Gomez looked terrible trying to mesh with Pat Elias and Brian Gionta last year but is finally finding his form with Jagr and Marty Straka. As I said, say Jagr is gone after the year, then what? When given a chance to skate with Ranger youngsters Ryan Callahan, Petr Prucha and Nigel Dawes, Gomer looked like he was on an entirely different page. Spezza, on the other hand, was just as good skating with Brandon Bochenski as he still is with Ferrari stuntdriver Dany Heatley.

When it comes down to it, the two teams aren't about to make this deal, but I think it makes sense. And I know I would ... if only to throw it in the Islanders faces since they dealt Spezza away ... for Alexei Yashin!!! Ah, hahahahaha!!!!!!

But the real question is, would you pull the trigger? The choice is yours ...