TORONTO — New Toronto Maple Leafs centre Jason Spezza will be a healthy scratch for the season opener tonight against the visiting Ottawa Senators.
Head coach Mike Babcock’s decision will keep Spezza on the sidelines for a game against a Senators team that drafted him second overall in 2001.
Spezza played 10 seasons with the Senators from 2002 to 2014 before being traded to the Dallas Stars.
The 36-year-old Toronto native signed with the Maple Leafs for the NHL minimum US$700,000 this off-season.
Spezza has scored 332 times and registered 915 points in 1,065 regular-season games with Ottawa and Dallas to go along with 70 points (25 goals, 45 assists) in 80 playoff outings.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 2, 2019.
The Canadian Press