Leafs bring veteran forward and fan favourite back for one more season
The Toronto Maple Leafs have taken care of some business on Monday morning, when the club announced that they have re-signed veteran forward Jason Spezza to a 1-year contract extension, providing some stability and experience to the Leafs' bottom six.
This is an absolute win for GM Kyle Dubas - who has locked up Spezza for just $700,000 for next season - and the Maple Leafs, as Spezza, A.K.A. "Vintage" is not only a fan favourite, but a locker room favourite as well.
Spezza showcased much of his character at the start of last season when then head coach Mike Babcock had routinely healthy-scratched the former 2nd-overall pick (2001), including in the Leafs' home opener, with Spezza's family and friends in attendance in one of the most unpopular moves in recent Leafs hockey memory.
But it wasn't how Spezza handled himself with the media and with his head coach that really earned him a lot of respect with his teammates and the fans. It was his leadership, dedication and performance on the ice while transitioning into a depth role that really endeared him to Leafs Nation, once Sheldon Keefe took over as head coach following Babcock's firing.
In very limited ice-time, Spezza was able to amass 9 goals and 25 points in 58 games played with his hometown team last season, providing the type of secondary support needed to have team success, despite having previously been accustomed to a much larger organizational role.
Following the Leafs' 3-2 series loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the qualifying round, Spezza declared his desire to return for another season with the Leafs in 2020-21 to the media almost immediately, which was music to the ears of the Leafs fans. Looks like both #19 and Leafs Nation got their wish.
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Clayton Keller | 1 | 4 | 5 | |
| Ivan Barbashev | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| Evgeni Malkin | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| Erik Karlsson | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Matvei Michkov | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Nick Suzuki | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Anton Lundell | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Nick Schmaltz | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Ryan Strome | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Troy Terry | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Brett Howden | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Boone Jenner | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Connor Murphy | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Philip Broberg | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Keegan Kolesar | 2 | - | 2 | |
| James Van Riemsdyk | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Cole Caufield | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| J.T. Compher | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Logan Cooley | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Brandon Hagel | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 60 | 42 | 15 | 3 | 87 | |
Capitals | 59 | 38 | 13 | 8 | 84 | |
Stars | 58 | 37 | 19 | 2 | 76 | |
Golden Knights | 59 | 35 | 18 | 6 | 76 | |
Panthers | 60 | 36 | 21 | 3 | 75 | |
Maple Leafs | 58 | 36 | 20 | 2 | 74 | |
Lightning | 58 | 34 | 20 | 4 | 72 | |
Hurricanes | 59 | 34 | 21 | 4 | 72 | |
Oilers | 59 | 34 | 21 | 4 | 72 | |
Wild | 59 | 34 | 21 | 4 | 72 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||