Another season of Senators hockey is upon us and if you're not excited to see this team return to the ice (only 4 years removed from a Stanley Cup final), well I don't know what to say. That's right, only 4 years ago the Senators were at the top of the Eastern Conference, finally breaking through to the Stanley Cup finals after years of being a top contender in the East. It was a long time coming and there was no reason to believe the on-ice success would end anytime soon. Fast forward 4 seasons: the defensive foundation Senators playoff teams were built on has crumbled, one of the most explosive, top scoring lines in the league is no more and the goaltending is... the same as always I suppose.

Now that I have you here waxing poetic about the halcion days and remembering the good times I'd like to hit you with a fact. The Ottawa Senators are a rebuilding team (if this is news to you, you should probably stop reading now) and would be best served by trading one of, if not both of, Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson. Yes, I just said that.

The Ottawa Senators are clearly in the midst of a rebuild. With a roster full of youth and relatively inexperienced NHL players there is no reason to think this is a Senators team management believes is a legitimate contender. (Note: "management" doesn't include owners who may or may not be dellusional) Every pundit I've read has the Senators at, or near the bottom of the league in their preseason prognostications. If I compare the top 3 players on teams in the East against the top 3 players on the Senators I'm not sure I'd come to a team they could match up against evenly before I reach the 14th team. Given the current state of the Senators I advocate to package up any and all tradable commodities which would bring a decent return in order to prepare for the future. A quick look at the current roster immediately reveals two players who fall into this category and they would surely provide the decent return I speak of.

Jason Spezza is the Ottawa Senators perpetual whipping boy when the going gets tough. Media and fans alike love a good scape goat in Bytown, and what better target than the under performing star center who doesn't play defence and is oft injured? I like Rocco as much as the next guy (I could watch the highlight of him deking Sheldon Souray out of his jock until the cows come home) but let's face it, number 19 is 28 years old and it isn't a stretch to say his best years of hockey might be in the rear view. It's been more than 3 seasons since Spezza had over 73 points and he's missed a minimum of 20 games in the last 2 seasons. His best 3 seasons as a Senator were the first 3 seasons post lockout and he's been on a steady decline ever since. It's time for all the people waiting for him to magically turn a corner (a la Steve Yzerman in Detroit) to wake up and relize that a 28 year old center with a history of back troubles might be on the back end of his career slope.

This isn't to say Spezza's a scrub and not a useful player in today's NHL. A proven playoff performer with 46 points in as many games, and a great play maker when he's feeding someone who can shoot the puck , Spezza would be in demand from teams looking to solidify themselves up the middle. The biggest downside of course is his albatross of a contract. Due 8 million for the next 2 seasons, then 5 and 4 respectively for two years, he's cost prohibitive. A rebuilding team like the Senators however (who shouldn't be looking at legitimate playoff contention for a few years) can afford to take back some shorter term, large contracts other teams might be looking to dump. It's a bitter pill to swallow watching a talented player like Spezza go, but how long can the Senators and their faithful continue to wait for the development of Jason Spezza when everyday might be one more removed from his best?

If you didn't like my idea of trading Giggles, you might want to sit down now or just start penning my death threat. Along with Spezza the other tradable asset the Senators have is Daniel Alfredsson.

You might have heard of a certain blue and whtie team just down the 401. At one point they had themselves a Swedish captain. He was, for a time, very unappreciated mostly during his first few years with this team. Constantly seen as not tough enough, or not a good enough leader. He was often cited as the reason for his team's constant struggles to reach hockey's promised land. Eventually that Swedish captain found his place in the fan's hearts and as the end of his career approached (and the team wasn't in playoff contention) the question started to pop up, should the team trade the captain who gave them so much, so that he can help them prepare for the future?

It may be sad and upsetting to some people, the idea of trading one of their favorite players, but it should be one that is at least entertained. What point is there in having Alfredsson go through the motions for the remaining 2 seasons on his contract if he is more valuable to the team in terms of a trade deadline bargaining chip which playoff bound teams always are willing to overpay for? Would it be nice to see Alfredsson finish out his career as the captain of the team he played his entire career for? Of course! Would it be nice to see him go to a contender for a chance to hoist the cup that will never come for him in Ottawa? Also a pleasant option! (Then of course he'll retire, return to Ottawa in a management capacity and then we can trot him, Birgitta and his brood out to centre ice before a game so we can have one tearful reunion and the Huge Euge can give him something framed)

I'm all for trips down memory lane and remembering the Senators teams of yester-decade, but I don't want to forgo the opportunity to create more memories and success sooner just so I can watch number 11 skate out there on an nightly basis and remind me how it "used to be". When the puck drops on this season and you have a chance to watch the magic Spezza and Alfie might create, enjoy it while it lasts because you never know how much longer you might have that chance.