Suddenly and without warning a dark veil dissipates to reveal a beautiful sunny valley, filled with lush green trees, grass, and happy people roaming about. Beside it is a dazzling green golf course with multiple happy Ottawa Senators playing on it in mid-July. This is a picture ready to immortalize.
It's also the picture that Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk seems to have about the next five years involving the Sens and their rebuild. For some strange reason, getting rid of your best 4 players and an accomplished coach, plus trying like heck to unload the next best, makes him think everything will be coming up roses. This is quite the opposite of what he said in the Bruce Garrioch (Ottawa Sun) interview last year (see link above and the last paragraph).
Perhaps Eugene has been using and feeding those test drugs from his pharmaceutical company to his staff and himself? Weed is legal now, perhaps they have been over-using for consumer testing purposes? I can't seem to find any other reasons for these inexplicable trades and firing.
Back to the main issue of the departures. It seems clear that the 4 players that have been traded for 1 decent, future, potential player, a bag of pucks and a new Zamboni, were clearly unhappy in Ottawa.
Mark Stone and Ryan Dzingel were having career years, but were at the end of their contracts. Even with a modest raise next season they would be a bargain for 30+ goal scores compared to the rest of the league. Speculation is that neither were happy with their contract negotiations and direction of the team.
With the Matt Duchene trade, Ottawa management showed they are completely out-of-touch with both the fans and the future. The next few trade(s) were even worse. Generally - trading players is done to improve your team in a specific area or to get experienced players to help teach the younger crowd... none of this was accomplished this year.
In the Erik Karlsson trade - Ottawa got 4 prospects - yet all of the four players combined (stats) don't equal what Karlsson did in 2017 - they call this the Erik Karlsson trade (more like a give-away) - and it is a lesson in the NHL of what not to do.
Since Dorion supposedly has a lick of hockey experience, I think the issue here may be Melnyk using boss powers instead of trusting his staff to do the best job. (Hey Eugene, That's called micro-management and it NEVER works)!!!
Seems he not only wants to own the team, but to run it as well - which may have worked in Toronto for his OHL team, but certainly not in the NHL.
Let's face it, Toronto is used to losing teams, it comes naturally, but we have a different take on things in Ottawa. We like to support a winning team! We will even buy tickets to the games when the team is losing as long as we can see a future.
Right now - few fans in Ottawa see much of a future while Melnyk owns the team and Dorion is running it (into the ground).
Trading - arguably the best player in the NHL - and 3 sensational, young players in 1 season, followed by firing the coach is a sign that this team isn't having player problems - it is having management problems.
Dorion is outclassed in the NHL by other GM's who seem to be taking advantage of him. Melnyk seems to be guiding these decisions based upon money and money alone!
Craig Anderson and Bobby Ryan are next! Nobody wants Ryan's contract - he is over paid and under performing - and brings a reputation with him - but Anderson is a different story. He will be looking for his next and likely last contract before retiring and he'll be asking for top goalie money - which he has earned.
If I was a player in Ottawa right now, I'd be worried!
If I was a player in Ottawa with a contract coming due, I'd be panicking
If I was a player in Ottawa right now, I'd get the heck out!
For a different, but similar perspective people should check this out:
https://www.sportsnet.ca/shows/tim-and-sid-show/sid-seixeiro-rants-senators-firing-guy-boucher/
It's also the picture that Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk seems to have about the next five years involving the Sens and their rebuild. For some strange reason, getting rid of your best 4 players and an accomplished coach, plus trying like heck to unload the next best, makes him think everything will be coming up roses. This is quite the opposite of what he said in the Bruce Garrioch (Ottawa Sun) interview last year (see link above and the last paragraph).
Take off the Blinders
Perhaps his thinking is skewed because he has listened intently to his GM, Pierre Dorion. Unfortunately, Eugene has no hockey background or sense to speak of, and Dorion's total experience has been as a scout for several organizations prior to Ottawa.Perhaps Eugene has been using and feeding those test drugs from his pharmaceutical company to his staff and himself? Weed is legal now, perhaps they have been over-using for consumer testing purposes? I can't seem to find any other reasons for these inexplicable trades and firing.
Pierre Dorion's Legacy
How anyone could jump from scout to assistant GM to GM in less than 2 years is beyond me. If this is an example of hockey management, why isn't Daniel Alfredsson our GM? Alfredsson was with the team since his retirement in 2014 as a player. He had a roll in hockey operations (Director of), but suddenly at the start of the 2018 season, his contract was not renewed. Why no contracts for Ottawa's favourite player? Nobody knows but Melnyk and Dorion - and they ain't tellin'! Alfie has too much class to bad mouth the team to the media, but someday we will hear the truth. |
| By Jonathan Milley from Halifax, Canada - DSC_3844, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2718058 |
Mark Stone and Ryan Dzingel were having career years, but were at the end of their contracts. Even with a modest raise next season they would be a bargain for 30+ goal scores compared to the rest of the league. Speculation is that neither were happy with their contract negotiations and direction of the team.
With the Matt Duchene trade, Ottawa management showed they are completely out-of-touch with both the fans and the future. The next few trade(s) were even worse. Generally - trading players is done to improve your team in a specific area or to get experienced players to help teach the younger crowd... none of this was accomplished this year.
In the Erik Karlsson trade - Ottawa got 4 prospects - yet all of the four players combined (stats) don't equal what Karlsson did in 2017 - they call this the Erik Karlsson trade (more like a give-away) - and it is a lesson in the NHL of what not to do.
 |
| By Michael Miller - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php? |
Seems he not only wants to own the team, but to run it as well - which may have worked in Toronto for his OHL team, but certainly not in the NHL.
Let's face it, Toronto is used to losing teams, it comes naturally, but we have a different take on things in Ottawa. We like to support a winning team! We will even buy tickets to the games when the team is losing as long as we can see a future.
Right now - few fans in Ottawa see much of a future while Melnyk owns the team and Dorion is running it (into the ground).
Trading - arguably the best player in the NHL - and 3 sensational, young players in 1 season, followed by firing the coach is a sign that this team isn't having player problems - it is having management problems.
Dorion is outclassed in the NHL by other GM's who seem to be taking advantage of him. Melnyk seems to be guiding these decisions based upon money and money alone!
Craig Anderson and Bobby Ryan are next! Nobody wants Ryan's contract - he is over paid and under performing - and brings a reputation with him - but Anderson is a different story. He will be looking for his next and likely last contract before retiring and he'll be asking for top goalie money - which he has earned.
If I was a player in Ottawa right now, I'd be worried!
If I was a player in Ottawa with a contract coming due, I'd be panicking
If I was a player in Ottawa right now, I'd get the heck out!
For a different, but similar perspective people should check this out:
https://www.sportsnet.ca/shows/tim-and-sid-show/sid-seixeiro-rants-senators-firing-guy-boucher/
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