Jason Spezza FA capsule

Jason Spezza signed a one-year, $700,000 contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday.

"Obviously for me it's a huge honor to be back on the club," Spezza said. "I feel there is unfinished business. We had sky high expectations for the group and we felt we fell short of that with the restart. After the season I felt pretty empty and really wanting more. It's something I really wanted and I'm glad the team felt the same way. The familiarity with the guys is there now and I feel I can have an even bigger impact. Thrilled to be back."
The 37-year-old forward could have become an unrestricted free agent Oct. 9. He scored 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in 58 games for the Maple Leafs this season. He did not have a point in a five-game loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the best-of-5 Stanley Cup Qualifiers.
"At the conclusion of the season, a few weeks after our season ended against Columbus, Jason and I sat down and had a discussion about where he felt he was at and whether he wanted to continue, how he felt about his role with the team," general manager Kyle Dubas said. "He and I had a great conversation then, and he subsequently had a discussion with (coach) Sheldon [Keefe] about his role and what was expected of him and what he could expect from Sheldon and myself as we rolled ahead and seemed like it was just a great fit. ... We're fortunate to have him and have him around here for another season."
Spezza, a Toronto native, signed a one-year, $700,000 contract with the Maple Leafs on July 1, 2019 after playing five seasons with the Dallas Stars and 11 with the Ottawa Senators, who selected him with the No. 2 pick in the 2001 NHL Draft.
"He's been excellent with our young players, great experience, works his butt off every single day in the facility and has just been outstanding and an outstanding addition for us and someone that I didn't really know a year ago when he came in here," Dubas said. "Just his work ethic, his passion for the game, and the fact that he desperately wants to win for obvious reasons, and that he's willing to spend as much time as any young player wants and helping them work through their start to their career or various challenges in their career, even if they're older players on our team."
Spezza has scored 940 points (341 goals, 599 assists) in 1,123 games with the Maple Leafs, Stars and Senators. He's scored at least 32 goals five times and at least 21 nine times during 17 NHL seasons.
He has scored 70 points (25 goals, 45 assists) in 85 playoff games, and helped the Senators reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2007.