"The 'A' on Jason Spezza's jersey is there to stay.

While he wore the letter after Bryan Murray's selloff last spring, this time it's here to stay — coach Paul MacLean has named the 28-year-old Spezza an alternate captain.

While he's always been willing to take a leadership role, Spezza will now officially be part of captain Daniel Alfredsson's support group, along with Chris Phillips."