News » Mattocks said he felt burdened to carry the team offensively

The last 48 hours have been a perfect example of how Jason Spezza is the most polarizing figure on the Senators roster. On Monday night, many fans in this city placed the blame squarely on the captain for his role in the James Neal overtime winner against the Pittsburgh Penguins. But the very next night, Spezza answered his critics with a clutch three-point performance that included a pair of beautiful assists in a stunning 5-4 shootout victory over the St. Louis Blues. On both nights, our radio station was flooded with calls and e-mails from fans wanting to talk about Spezza. The first night we heard from his detractors and, on the second, we heard from his defenders. Its a predictable pattern with the fans here in Ottawa. When Spezza plays poorly, his critics say you cannot win with him. When he generates offence, the negative comments disappear into the cold night air. There is no arguing that Spezza has had a rough season in 2013-14. In many ways, Spezza is having a similar season to Eric Staal in Carolina. Staal has 14 goals and 44 points and was left off Team Canadas roster because of his slow start. Spezza has 15 goals and 42 points – numbers that look awfully similar to Staals. The Sens captain sits 24th in scoring amongst centremen in the NHL, a ranking that suggests that he is still a legitimate number-one centre in a 30-team league. Spezza is also only one point behind Kyle Turris on the team scoring list without the luxury of playing with the same quality of linemates so far this season. And while everyone can agree that Turris is trending upwards, most believe that the opposite is true for Spezza. Those who are into analytics have been trumpeting Spezzas poor Corsi numbers all season long as tangible proof of his declining skills. After Monday nights loss, where Spezza failed to clear the puck out of his own zone, many fans who arent into advanced stats said they had reached their breaking point with the captain. We were bombarded with "Trade Spezza" e-mails and calls and there seemed like a growing distaste for his style of play in Ottawa. One of the most common complaints I heard from fans is that Spezza needs to earn his $7 million salary. But what fans need to remember about Spezza is that his contract is set up very favorably for next season. While he carries a cap hit of $7 million, he will actually only get paid $4 million in actual money for the 2014-15 campaign. (Spezza is being paid $5 million this season as his front-loaded contract starts to decline). And for a team like Ottawa that is desperate to reach the salary cap floor, this contract is an absolute dream. For next season, the Sens are getting $3 million of salary cap space eaten up for nothing. If the Sens were a spend-to-the-cap team, this deal would be an issue for them, but the exact opposite is true and that is why I would expect the Senators to hang onto their captain. He gives them $7 million of salary cap space for the price of $4 million. And now ask yourself this important question: Would you pay Jason Spezza $4 million to play next season? Of course you would. In a world where the oft-injured Martin Havlat will be making $6 million next season and Mike Ribeiro will be making $5.5 million, Spezza is absolutely a bargain at $4 million in real dollars. He wont even rank among the top 50 forwards in salary next season. As his salary is lowered, perhaps the expectations on Spezza could follow suit. He is 30 years old and no longer surrounded by snipers like Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson. But at $4 million dollars next season, Jason Spezza will be worth every penny that he is paid. Custom Cleveland Indians Nike Jerseys . Jannero Pargo scored 14 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter to help the Charlotte Bobcats erase a 21-point deficit and rally for an 83-76 preseason victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night. Custom Atlanta Braves Nike Jerseys . Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak. https://www.custombaseballnikejerseys.co...rs-nike-jerseys. -- The Val-dOr Foreurs made it to the Memorial Cup semifinal thanks to their workhorse goaltender and their ability to hang around like a bad cold. Custom Pittsburgh Pirates Nike Jerseys . LOUIS -- The Tampa Bay Rays have placed right-handed pitcher Joel Peralta on the 15-day disabled list with an undisclosed illness. Custom Houston Astros Nike Jerseys . Each day, TSN.ca provides the latest rumours, reports and speculation from around the NHL beat. The latest from Bob As tweeted by TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie on Monday, the Columbus Blue Jackets need to resolve their offseason plans with forward R.VANCOUVER -- Martin Rennie faces more tough lineup decisions when the Vancouver Whitecaps visit the Colorado Rapids in Denver, but hes not complaining. Unlike in many previous cases this season, the Whitecaps coach can base his decisions Saturday on several options rather than necessity. Rennie has fewer lineup concerns because he does not have to deal with as many injuries as he has in previous weeks, while suspensions and international absences are not factors either. "Its much better than not having choices," said Rennie after a practice this week. "At certain points in the season, weve just not had the choice of who we can play, but now weve got that, and I think it pushes everybody a little bit higher." The Whitecaps (10-7-6) are unbeaten in seven of their past 10 games. Rennie has options up front, in midfield and on the back line as they try to break a tie for second place in the Western Conference with the Rapids (9-7-9), who are unbeaten in five games. Arguably, Rennies most difficult decision will come on the back line as he determines whether to insert veteran central defender Andy OBrien, a commanding presence on the pitch, who has been out since early June with a hamstring injury. OBriens return could break up an effective partnership between Johnny Leveron and Carlyle Mitchell, who appears the most likely to be moved to the bench. The duo has filled in admirably while the Caps have coped with injuries to the back line that are easing but still taking their toll with Brad Rusin (ankle) and captain Jay DeMerit (torn Achilles) out. "Its nice for us to have a little bit of competition, because we havent had that," said Rennie. "For many weeks, we didnt even have a centre back on the bench. So its nice to have to make a decision on who starts, and that will be a difficult decision." Striker Darren Mattocks return from a knee injury that required surgery last month also means that Rennie can rest Kenny Miller, who scored a goal in Scotlands friendly against England in London on Wednesday and has travelled across the Atlantic twice this week. Whatever he decides, Rennie can be confident that replacements will be up for the task. "Obviously, were still just building our team and I think that we want to be improving all the time," he said. "But weve scored more goals thhis year than weve scored in the whole of last year (and 2011), and theres still a third of the season, so thats a positive sign.dddddddddddd ... But were also making saves at the other end, and defending well and starting to possess the ball better. So weve got a lot to build on. "But the last few games dont matter so much. Its just about this next one." Coaches in all sports love internal competition, and Rennie is no exception. While the Whitecaps are much more stable than they were a year ago, when a series of mid-season roster changes led to a summer swoon in the standings, the competition for jobs is much higher. "When I first arrived, there was a lot of building to be done of the team," he said. "There was a lot of adjustments that we had to make. There was a number of players that probably werent quite at the level that we thought. But I think the squads getting stronger. It needs to just keep improving. "But I think you saw when we played Portland away we were missing six or seven key players, and the guys who came in did really well (as the team earned a draw.) So the squads much deeper than it was before, and theres more competition than there was before, and thats what we want." Mattocks said he felt burdened to carry the team offensively last season, but Camilo and Miller, who both scored in a 2-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes last week, have lightened his load in a difficult season. DeMerit said the battle for jobs is much different than it was when he arrived on the scene with Vancouvers 2011 expansion club. But in order to succeed as a team, players must accept the increased competition and expectations. Midfield still remains somewhat of a question mark. Gershon Koffie, who played a holding midfielder role against San Jose for the first time and performed well, is expected to play the same role in Denver. So the engine-room crew is not expected to change much in Denver. But Rennie has the comfort of knowing that he can make revisions if he wants to. Notes: Rapids midfielder Hendry Thomas is eligible to return after serving a two-game suspension. ... New Colorado designated player Gabriel Torres, a member of Panamas national team, could make his debut. ... The Whitecaps won two of three meetings with Colorado last season while the other game ended in a draw. ' ' '