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3 potential landing spots for Jason Spezza

Ron Chenoy / USA TODAY Sports

Ottawa Senators captain Jason Spezza has made it known that he wants to be shipped out of Canada's capital, and it appears as though general manager Bryan Murray will seek to accommodate the request at some point this summer.

What do we know about this situation? Well, the Senators will likely look out West for a trading partner, and will be seeking some combination of a roster player, a first-round draft pick and a top prospect in return. On top of that, Spezza has given Ottawa a list of 10 ten teams he does not want to be traded to, and it's believed he would like to play South of the border.

With all that in mind, here are three potential landing spots for Spezza.

Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks finished the regular season atop the Western Conference standings, but they accomplished that feat primarily on the strength of star forwards Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. After that duo, there existed a significant drop off in scoring, with Nick Bonino's 49 points being good enough for the team's third-highest point total.

Interestingly, the Senators are believed to be interested in Bonino; the Ducks also possess two first-round draft picks in 2014, one being the 10th overall pick that was acquired from Ottawa in last summer's Bobby Ryan deal. 

While the Ducks would probably be unwilling to flip that pick back to Ottawa, they could dangle their own selection (24th) and/or a prospect in exchange for Spezza, who would serve as a high-end second-line center behind Getzlaf. 

Spezza may be Anaheim's Plan B, however, as they are likely to resume their pursuit of Vancouver's Ryan Kesler.

Click here to read Justin Bourne's piece on why a trade to Anaheim would give Jason Spezza the boost he needs.

St. Louis Blues

The Blues' situation is similar to that of the Ducks, in that their strong regular season was followed up by playoff disappointment. Unlike Anaheim, St. Louis lacks of a bona fide, point-per-game type center, which may up the ante in terms of their pursuit of Spezza.

St. Louis was led in scoring by Alexander Steen, T.J. Oshie, David Backes and Jaden Schwartz, all of whom are capable and talented forwards yet lack the kind of game-breaking skill that Spezza - when healthy and at his best - can bring to the table.

The Blues rolled the dice by acquiring Ryan Miller prior to the trade deadline, but it's clear their issues are far more offensive. Over the course of his time in Ottawa, Spezza registered 251 goals and 436 assists, good for 687 total points in 686 games. You can't get more consistent than that, and Spezza is the kind of talent that could help the Blues hit all the right notes.

Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen suggests Ottawa would be interested in Patrik Berglund and/or Kevin Shattenkirk in a package for Spezza.

Nashville Predators

In the holy trinity of hockey team building, the Predators possess two cornerstones in Pekka Rinne and Shea Weber; what's missing is the elite center.

Spezza doesn't quite measure up to the likes of Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews or Patrice Bergeron as a complete, two-way player, but he would provide the Predators with something they've been missing since, well, forever: a legitimate scoring threat every time he steps on the ice.

Nashville is set to play a more up-tempo, offensively-driven game under new head coach Peter Laviolette, and Spezza may be just what this team needs to establish its new identity and climb back into a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

The Predators could dangle their first-round pick (11th) and center Calle Jarnkrok (acquired from Detroit in the David Legwand trade) in order to reunite Spezza with former Senators' teammate Mike Fisher in the Music City.

Honorable mention: The Dallas Stars are looking to add depth at center in the offseason, and according to Mike Heika of the Dallas News, Spezza would be a perfect fit as the team's second-line center behind Tyler Seguin. 

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