Dubas reveals that Spezza will control his own destiny in new front office role
As we saw earlier today, Jason Spezza announced his retirement after 19 seasons in the NHL and immediately took on a new role as a Special Assistant to Leafs' GM Kyle Dubas. The Leafs' GM explained that Spezza would be involved right away, leading up to the draft and free agency as he will spend the next 12-14 months learning everything he can about the management side of the business.
Over the next year or so, Dubas will help Spezza figure out where he sees himself in the organization and at the end of next year will have a meeting to determine an official role for the 19-year NHL veteran. The speculation is that he will end up somewhere in a player development capacity with the Leafs given his development and assessment skills.
I'm sure there were discussions in bringing him back to hit 1000 points, but having him join the front office immediately was a wise move by Dubas. Having him around the team, particularly the young guys he's created a great relationship with the past few years, like Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, will go a long way in helping them to continue to progress. Those same skills will be equally valuable to the first-year NHL players coming in this season and beyond.
| POLL | ||
MAI 29 | 453 ANSWERS Dubas reveals that Spezza will control his own destiny in new front office role Where do you think Spezza will best fit in within the organization? | ||
| Scouting | 39 | 8.6 % |
| Development | 150 | 33.1 % |
| Coaching | 112 | 24.7 % |
| Assistant GM and eventual GM | 152 | 33.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
