OTTAWA - For the second straight year the Ottawa Senators have lost their captain on the opening day of NHL free agency. The Senators traded Jason Spezza, who was coming off his first year as captain, to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday for winger Alex Chiasson along with prospects Alex Guptill, Nicholas Paul and a second-round pick in 2015. Ottawa prospect Ludwig Karlsson was also part of the trade. Last year the Senators bid farewell to longtime captain Daniel Alfredsson after he chose to sign with the Detroit Red Wings. News of Spezzas departure was much less shocking to Senators fans, as the 31-year-old had requested a trade following the end of the season. "It was a combination of things and the fact I have one year left on my deal," said Spezza, when asked for the reasons behind the trade request. "Only having one year left on my contract I thought it was fair talking to Bryan (Murray) now so we dont get into a situation next year where were always talking about if Im extending or why Im not extending or whats going on moving forward. "I felt like it was best for me to move on and this was the appropriate time to take care of all this through the summer so that I can have a fresh start during the season and move on and the team can move on as well." Senators general manager Bryan Murray acknowledged this was a very difficult deal to be made. "As I said all along you dont get equal value for a skilled point getter, but with the request being three or four times made to us, and in spite of what everybody else says we didnt encourage any movement, we were asked if it would happen," said Murray. "I didnt want to go through another summer of issues … Dallas was the one option that I had. Jim Nill was very straightforward in what he could offer me." Murray told reporters that a contract extension had been offered and refused by Spezza. He said three trade offers had been in play at the NHL draft last weekend, but disappeared as the days went by leaving the Dallas offer as the lone deal on the table. The Senators would like to add another centre to their lineup and Murray said hes working on a deal that he hopes to finalize soon. With Spezzas departure Murray sees the Senators forging a new identity and believes Chiasson will fit right in. "Weve always wanted to shift to a hard working, competitive team that we had two years ago and then last year for some reason we got off the track," said Murray. "Were going to try and get that back on track." Chiasson, who had 13 goals and 35 points with the Stars last season, is the centrepiece of the trade, but in no way will the 23-year-old replace Spezza. Love him or hate him, Spezza was a point-per-game player over his 11 seasons with the Senators. In 686 games Spezza scored 251 goals and had 687 points. Spezza is in the final year of his contract with a $7 million cap hit and $4 million in actual salary. Over the course of his career Spezza has often been a lightning rod for criticism, and things seemed to come to a head this season for the veteran centre. When asked whether or not he felt the criticism was fair, Spezza said it came with the responsibility of being a star player. "I was the highest paid guy on the team and the guy who had been there for a long time so fingers were pointed at me at times, but I also got credit at times," Spezza said. "When you play in a Canadian market and you play in a city like that and youre in the same spot for a long time if you expect not to have the finger pointing you have unrealistic expectations. So at times the finger was pointing at me, but it was the reality of the situation that I was in." Spezza said his decision didnt come lightly and that he will miss many things about Ottawa, but in the end he was looking for a team that would give him the best chance at winning a Stanley Cup. Fans will remember that Alfredsson uttered nearly the exact same words last year after signing with Detroit. With two of its top players bolting from the organization one has to wonder what effect this will have on the Senators reputation. Murray is clearly frustrated by the perception that Ottawa is being viewed as a frugal team thats not willing to spend. "Ive never had one player Ive called and asked if they would be interested in coming to Ottawa say No Im worried about the money on your team and I wouldnt come," said Murray. "Perception is what you make it to be and what you really believe to be true. I think players know they come here and are treated well." Despite losing Spezza and Alfredsson in the span of two years, Murray said the team wont be forced to go into a rebuild. "No, were past that," said Murray. "Were going to have a good hockey team. Were going to compete. We lose a little bit at centre ice, we gain a little bit on the wing, weve got a couple of young guys coming that are going to be a different brand of player…I think our team is going to be really competitive, hard working group of people. I think were going to be well off going forward." Joining Spezza in Dallas is Ales Hemsky, who turned down an offer from the Senators for a contract extension. Hemsky was acquired at the trade deadline and showed chemistry with Spezza, but knowing the captain wanted out left Hemsky with little reason to remain in Ottawa. Both players said they were looking forward to being reunited in Dallas. The Senators did re-sign left-wing Milan Michalek to a three-year, $12-million contract Tuesday. Murray said Michalek had been offered a five-year offer elsewhere, but chose to remain in Ottawa. Jonne Tammela Jersey . 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The move will give Hentgen the "time needed to support his family and his fathers current health issues," the Blue Jays said in a release. Hentgen spent 10 of his 14 big-league seasons with the Blue Jays, winning a Cy Young Award in 1996.SAN DIEGO -- It was no surprise to see San Diego Padres All-Star Tyson Ross shut down the New York Mets. The run support he received from his teammates was quite out of character. Ross threw seven shutout innings Saturday night, and the light-hitting Padres hit three homers in a 6-0 victory that snapped New Yorks four-game winning streak. "Weve talked about the maturity, the development of Tyson the last month or so," Padres manager Bud Black said. "About what it means to be one of those guys at the front end of the rotation, to stop losing streaks and put zeroes on the board, to really throw great games, to really shut down opponents. "He is starting to do that." Ross (8-10) allowed only four hits in his first start following his first All-Star appearance. He struck out six and issued three walks. Three relievers pitched the final two innings to seal the Padres seventh shutout. Yasmani Grandal, Will Venable and Seth Smith homered as San Diego won for the third time in 11 games. The Mets had won nine of 11. That the Padres became offensive when Ross was pitching was the news. In his previous eight starts, the Padres scored more than one run only once, in a 3-0 win on July 2 against the Reds. Overall, they had scored only five runs in that span. "Its always a little bit easier pitching with a lead," Ross said. "Its more comfortable and you dont have to worry about making mistakes and being down. "Yasmani came up with a big homer early, and the guys followed through from there. It was a good team win." New Yorks Dillon Gee (4-2) worked five innings, allowing four runs and five hits in his second start since missing two months with a strained right lat. Gee struck out eight with no walks. Ross didnt surrender a hit in the first four innings. His bid to throw the first no-hitter in Padres history was derailed by Travis dArnauds four-hopper that ricocheted off third base for an infield single. The Mets were stymied by Ross mid-90s fastball, tight sinker and a biting slider. "He had great stuff," New York manager Terry Collinss said.dddddddddddd "That is why he is on the All-Star team." The Mets didnt have a runner reach scoring position until the seventh when Lucas Duda singled, Kirk Nieuwenhuis walked and Juan Lagares singled to load the bases. But Ruben Tejada struck out to end the threat. Gee was stranded on first after a two-out walk in the second inning, and dArnaud was erased at second on a double play after his single in the fifth. Pinch-hitter Eric Young Jr. walked with one out in the sixth inning, but was thrown out by Grandal when he tried to steal second. Curtis Granderson followed with the Mets second hit, but Daniel Murphy grounded out to Ross. Smiths homer in the sixth pushed the Padres ahead 5-0. Venable hit his first home run since June 10 in the fourth inning, extending the Padres lead to 4-0. "It was a little weird. Just a bad night," Gee said. San Diego took a 3-0 lead in the third inning, thanks to a big hit by Headley and a bad throw by Nieuwenhuis. Headleys one-out single scored Ross, and when Nieuwenhuis relay to third base landed in the Mets dugout, Alexi Amarista, who had singled, scored, as well. Grandal staked Ross to a 1-0 edge in the second inning with his eighth homer, a 440-foot blast to right-centre. "I didnt see the swing but I heard it," Ross said. "It was loud." NOTES: After Fridays trade of RHP Huston Street to the Angels, RHP Joaquin Benoit will become the Padres closer. RHP Kevin Quackenbush is the top candidate to work the eighth inning. ... RHP Andrew Cashner, who is on the DL, threw on Saturday as he tested his sore right shoulder and neck. ... SS Everth Cabrera (strained left hamstring) has resumed running and could play in a minor league game next week. ... Mets RHP Jon Niese (left shoulder strain) is expected to start on Monday at Seattle. RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka is working out of the bullpen with the expectation that Niese will rejoin the rotation. ... Mets RHP Zack Wheeler (5-8, 3.90) faces Padres RHP Odrisamer Despaigne (2-1, 1.35) in Sundays series finale. China Jerseys China Jerseys Jerseys NFL Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys 2018 Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping ' ' '