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Jason Spezza and the Senators get on the same page after rumor-filled summer

Ottawa Senators v Washington Capitals

of the Washington Capitals against the Ottawa Senators at the Verizon Center on March 30, 2010 in Washington, DC.

Greg Fiume

The weird and wild summer of Jason Spezza that saw him go from potentially wanting to be out of Ottawa after some rough handling at the hands of Senators fans to saying that he loves Ottawa and never wanted to be dealt has finally been squared away. Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun tells us that Spezza and Sens GM Bryan Murray have aired their grievances and Ottawa’s own version of Festivus can finally be over.

“We had a really good meeting in the middle of the summer,” Murray said Saturday. “We had a real good discussion and maybe there was a little bit of exaggeration on my part when I made a couple of comments that he wanted out.

“He just wants, like a lot of players, to be important and to feel that we understand what he wants to be (during) his career and what he’s capable of being. We’ve got a guy who is committed to the Ottawa Senators.”

Murray said Spezza doesn’t have to be superhuman.

“We need him to be Jason Spezza,” said Murray. “The ability level that this guy has is pretty high in comparison to a lot of players in the league. We just want him to be that.

It’s great that both sides have finally put their differences aside and have avoided having another potentially ugly Dany Heatley like scenario unfold in Ottawa, but you can’t help but wonder if maybe Spezza’s mental mettle isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.

If you want to read between the lines a bit, Murray’s words are rather curious considering his statement about how much Spezza wants to “feel important” to the team. After all, Spezza is the team’s first line center and he’s generally the guy setting up Daniel Alfredsson. Perhaps Mike Fisher’s breakout-like season got to his ego because Fisher became a bit of a fan favorite in Ottawa and not just because he’s got a famous girlfriend. It’s all crazy and speculative but something worth keeping an eye on with expectations being a bit higher now for the Senators after finishing fifth in the Eastern Conference last year.

(Photo: Greg Fiume - Getty Images)