Senators coach John McLean is displeased by the lockout. "I work in the game, but I'm a fan of the game, too, and I'm with everybody (in saying) 'Let's just play,'" McLean said. "But I also understand there's a process involved. I've been around long enough to know just to be patient and just wait it out, though like everybody you get frustrated." McLean acknowledged that if and when an agreement is reached, he will be inviting just 23 or 24 players to camp because there won't be as much time to evaluate and prepare for the season.

Jason Spezza concluded Tuesday's 3-0 win over SC Bern with a goal for Rapperswil. The Ottawa center now has 12 points in 11 games in Switzerland after getting off to a rough start. Former Minnesota Wild forward Robbie Earl had an assist for the Lakers in the match.

Jason Spezza finally broke out offensively in the Swiss League with four points in Saturday's 4-1 win against Lugano. He had been held without a point in his previous four contests with Rapperswil before snapping his slide with two goals and two assists.

Jason Spezza still hasn't recorded a point since joining the Rapperswil of the Swiss National League A. He has played three games but hasn't been able to get any points despite his team scoring 14 times over that span, including an 8-4 win over the SCL Tigers on Tuesday.

Jason Spezza is wishful that the league and the players' union will reach a deal on a new CBA before any regular-season games are lost. "I still hold out hope that once we get to the point where they have to cancel regular season games, hopefully that's a bit of a pressure point to get things done," he said. "I expected this to be a quiet time. I would imagine both sides are going over their game plans a little bit, in how they want to approach it and figure out a way." Spezza will fly from Ottawa to Zurich Tuesday and then join the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers of the Swiss League.

Jason Spezza essentially will be playing with the Lakers of the Swiss League for free. For Spezza, it's all about staying sharp and making sure his family is comfortable. The $50,000 he has to pay per month for insurance will wipe out anything he'll earn in Switzerland. "I'm pretty much going over there for free, just to keep playing," Spezza said. "It's more just about that I hope, when the season gets started, I can kind of hit the ground running and be feeling real good about my game, and then be ready to step in. ... I was going to try and wait a little bit longer, but I wanted to make sure my family is in a good spot. I didn't want to go over without my kids, so it was important to make the decision early, I guess, and get everybody settled in."

Jason Spezza has reportedly signed with the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers of the Swiss National League A, according to the team's website. "Just every seven to 10 years, the opportunity to presents (itself to have) one of the best hockey players in the world," said Lakers managing director Roger Sigg in a translated version of the press release. With Jason Spezza we (give) our viewers a hockey dream. He stay until the lockout over or the season is over." Spezza concluded the 2011-12 season with 84 points in 80 games to rank him fourth in league scoring.

Jason Spezza isn't holding out for a miracle end to the pending lockout. The good news is Spezza still is cautiously optimistic. It seems unlikely that the two sides will come to an understanding before the current CBA expires on Saturday. However, it's still within the realm of possibilities that an agreement could be reached before we lose a major portion of the regular season. "There is a lot of good conversation going on," he said. "Unfortunately, with something like this, it's going to pretty much be doom and gloom until a deal gets done. I don't think there's going to be a build up like, 'things are going really well'. One day, we're going to wake up and it will be over, I think. That's how it happened last time."

Jason Spezza feels the owners are treating lockouts like "a negotiating tactic." "A lockout is supposed to be a last option. It seems like a negotiating tactic for them," said Spezza. "They got what they wanted last time (with a salary cap) and it didn't work. We're just trying to find a fair deal so we have labour peace moving forward. So we're not doing this again in my career. You hope they can settle on something that makes sense for both sides." The current CBA is set to expire on Sept. 15.

Jason Spezza will not play for Team Canada in the upcoming World Championship. Spezza expressed an interest in joining the squad, but they informed him that the roster was already full. He had 34 goals and 84 points in 80 games.