Morning Hits: Devils, Spezza on Alfredsson, Benn to LW, Blackhawks No. 2 center and Ducks sign deal with Utah

“I spoke to him the night before free agency, and we had a really good conversation, but I was shocked to hear it at that point,” Spezza told the Sun Wednesday from Toronto.

“We had talked about two weeks before he left and I had a good feeling he was going to come back and play. He still wasn’t even 100% committed. Once he said he was going to play, I just assumed it was going to be for us.”

Spezza admitted he did try to talk him out of it.

“At that point his mind was already made up,” said Spezza. “We talked about a few things. I don’t feel 100% comfortable talking about what we talked about. I have too much respect for Alf and the process I know was hard for him.

“But all I can say is I would have liked to have seen him back with our club. I still feel like we have a very good team. You don’t have to agree with somebody to understand why they’re doing something.”

“It’s something I think I’ve earned the opportunity to do and I have to take advantage of it,” Pirri told NHL.com. “I want to make that jump and I think I’m ready.”

Coach Joel Quenneville said that Brandon Saad could be given a chance to become their No. 2 center and thinks that Pirri could challenge for the spot.

“Could do it? I think he could, but that’s a big job, and with him we’re looking for that consistency,” Quenneville told NHL.com. “We know he’s capable of doing a lot of good things offensively and defensively he’s improved over the last few years, but now game in and game out getting to that level of predictability that we want, that’s going to be the challenge. I think he’s capable of it for sure, so he’s one guy under consideration.”