Anger and Frustration Spill Over Into Rant

[Micklebot]

Given the budgetary limitations placed on the GM by the owner, it seems to me that if the GM simply had stopped trading his assets and relied on drafting (a strength of ours) and re-signing his own players (players we have actual insider info on) we would have been more successful, AND we could have saved money on professional scouts (if we do have any, not sure given the result of our trades).

So, isn't that what had us rolling out a D corps(e) that had both of Cowen and Wiercioch with the expectation that they'd be top 4 guys?

 

[DrEasy]

So, isn't that what had us rolling out a D corps(e) that had both of Cowen and Wiercioch with the expectation that they'd be top 4 guys?

Well yes, that would come with the territory.
But even then, if injuries hadn't slowed down Cowen he could have been a very valuable part of our top 4 and maybe even top 2.

(And we don't have Wiercioch if we just re-sign Havlat )

 

[swiftwin]

Exactly. That's why I don't see the Sens tearing it down this season. They'll try to shuffle the deck, imptove and give it a run next year.

If they still suck they still suck and give Colorado a good pick. Although hopefully not as good as this seasons.

Then they tear it down next off-season and start from scratch.

They should be able to get a haul for karlsson, and some decent **** for guys like Hoffman and ceci. Then good rental prices for Duchene and brassard.

It will be a hell of a start to a rebuild.

Exactly. We were always going to be all in for next year too. It's quite clear that a 3 year window was identified by Dorion at the beginning of last season that coincides with Karlsson's contract. All the moves he's made have contracts that end after next season, Brass, Duchene, Burrows, Thompson, Pyatt, etc. There are no major unrestricted free agents this off season.

It could also explain why the players seem to have given up on the season after the shit road trip. They're all under contract next season. They're probably figuring they'll just try next year. Stone and Ceci are the only RFAs. This could explain the excessive sabre rattling from Dorion. Too much complacency. But realistically, the team should have another shot next year. Dorion can't blow it up. Not without our 1st.

 

[sensfan44]

I want to start by expressing I have been a Senators fan for a long time; I started back during Alfy's Calder year. I mention this to preface the fact that I have seen this team during the best of times and the worst of times.

Despite peaks and crashes, I have always supported the team and was proud to be a fan. I would get angry, dislike (or outright hate) some players, get pissed off, annoyed, sad, and every other type of emotion one could experience during those very bad or heartbreaking seasons.

During all that time though, I never was embarrassed to be a Senators fan. That has all changed this season. I never thought I would see the day that I pass on putting on one of my Sens hoodies, hats, or jackets before leaving the house, or throwing on a Sens shirt for the day.

But this iteration of the Ottawa Senators is so dysfunctional, so poorly managed, and so poorly led that I can't even stomach throwing one of these on and wearing it. My house is littered with tasteful Senators decor, and I get disgusted sometimes just walking through my house.

On paper this is one of the most talented Senators teams the franchise has ever assembled. On the ice it is an absolute embarrassment. What makes this season so much different for me in accepting the results, is an honest lack of understanding why. There are some obvious answers that immediately come out - but I reject those answers as being to coincidence. Can we really believe this many guys are just having "bad years?" It defies logic.

This franchise has a deep and cancerous tumor that needs to be rooted out. As much as I disliked Bryan Murray, I feel like he was the one holding everything together and keeping this systematic rot bottled up. With his passing, this has all bubbled over and its spilling out; and we're seeing the results.

I struggle to find someone to blame for this. Is it one person? Is it a lot of people?

Do I blame Melnyk for not being able to financially support the team as he promised and as a good hockey owner would? Do I blame him for meddling too much in hockey operations and driving away key components that would make this franchise a success instead of a laughing stock?

Do I blame Dorion for making the roster decisions he has made? Should he be blamed for letting Boucher dictate the guys the Senators keep and go after to sign? But how can one believe that the loss of Neil, Methot, Kelly, and Stalberg really could sink this team so low after the success of last year? How could one believe that a swap of Turris for Duschene would be the reason for such a meteoric fall in the standings? Logically these personnel choices make sense (for the sake of on ice talent, not asset management).

Do I blame Karlsson for an utter and total lack of leadership? I know Alfredsson's skates are tough to fill, but I haven't seen this team so leaderless perhaps ever. During the lowest points of other seasons you could visibly see Alfredsson trying to set an example on the ice. He showed leadership, he showed emotion. He took responsibility for things. He spoke to the media with care and the right words. He held closed door meetings and held players responsible. Karlsson does none of this. When we need him most he seems to have disappeared and is having perhaps the worst season of his career, and all he seems to have anything to say is about his contract and what he is worth.

He has taken no responsibility, and he as shown zero leadership on the ice. It begs the question if he even wants to be here. And if not, why? Is it ownership? Is it coaching? Is it the city? If he doesn't want to be here why do we want to keep him? Should we rebuild the franchise around his value?

Do I blame Boucher for playing a system that handcuffs our teams offensive potential, and stifles creativity for some of our most creative and gifted offensive talents? Are the players responsible for listening to the coach and playing his system, or is the coach responsible for designing a system that best suits the players abilities? Is Boucher's system just junk? Has the rest of the league figured it out? Why does he continue to seem optimistic and show no concern for the pitiful on ice performance night in and night out?

Do I blame the goaltending? Could it really be that one of the best tandems in the NHL last year have become arguably the worst this year? What would cause such a thing? There were no major changes to their life, offseason surgeries, new equipment, new coaches, or any other significant changes whatsoever that you could point to and say "ahhh thats what happened." Yet night in and night out they leak pucks into their net like a sieve.

There are so many questions, and so few answers - it is heartbreaking. I am do disgusted with the state of this franchise, I don't even know how to begin to offer suggestions to fix it. There are ZERO encouraging signs that things are going to get better, only worse. With depleted draft picks, albatross salaries, a checked out superstar captain, a broken play-style, an inept GM, and to top it all off a meddling owner who can't afford to provide the capital an NHL franchise needs to be successful.

One might take solace in the fact that we have guys like White, Chabot, Chlapik, and Brown to look forward to, but chance can we hope that these players will succeed on a franchise as ruinous as ours?

TL;DR - A longtime fan who has been through the good and the bad, but never seen things so bad before. Feels like there is no hope in near future, and the franchise is ****ed. Totally depressed about it, and embarrassed to be a Sens fan right now.

Sorry, I stopped reading as I couldn’t get past ‘Alfy’ and “...I have seen this team during the best of times and the worst of times.”

Worst of times:
1992/93 Season. ONE road win.
Best of times:
1992/93 Season. Ottawa has an NHL team!

Be thankful for what you have. Be entertained and appreciative that you’re able to watch NHL hockey in Ottawa. That you’re able to see elite talent like Karlsson, have been able to watch the progression of a guy like Mark Stone. That we were one win away from a Stanley Cup birth at the end of an unlikely, yet magical season.
The ‘Ups-and-Downs’ in sports is what leaves us feeling elated, and defeated. Just remember that it’s not an entitlement. Being able to feel ‘embarrased’ about your orginization is far better than wishing you were able to. Just ask Quebec, Seattle (NBA) Winnipeg and Minnesota (the first time around) and all the other Pro sports teams lost over the years.
Choosing a sports team, to me, is like entering a marriage. It’s the unity of being able to get through the ‘for better or worse’
And I for one am still smitten for my team after all these years.
Take it from us old guys who grew up without the luxury of NHL hockey. It’s better to have a shitty team to cheer for than none at all.
Or you could always join the Leafs fan base. I hear they enjoy jumping on/off wagons.

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

Sorry, I stopped reading as I couldn’t get past ‘Alfy’ and “...I have seen this team during the best of times and the worst of times.”

Worst of times:
1992/93 Season. ONE road win.
Best of times:
1992/93 Season. Ottawa has an NHL team!

Be thankful for what you have. Be entertained and appreciative that you’re able to watch NHL hockey in Ottawa. That you’re able to see elite talent like Karlsson, have been able to watch the progression of a guy like Mark Stone. That we were one win away from a Stanley Cup birth at the end of an unlikely, yet magical season.
The ‘Ups-and-Downs’ in sports is what leaves us feeling elated, and defeated. Just remember that it’s not an entitlement. Being able to feel ‘embarrased’ about your orginization is far better than wishing you were able to. Just ask Quebec, Seattle (NBA) Winnipeg and Minnesota (the first time around) and all the other Pro sports teams lost over the years.
Choosing a sports team, to me, is like entering a marriage. It’s the unity of being able to get through the ‘for better or worse’
And I for one am still smitten for my team after all these years.
Take it from us old guys who grew up without the luxury of NHL hockey. It’s better to have a ****ty team to cheer for than none at all.
Or you could always join the Leafs fan base. I hear they enjoy jumping on/off wagons.

Bullseye!

 

[Sensung]

Ok, sit at home dude. He just landed a landmark deal that will transform the city landscape. He isn't going anywhere.

The landmark deal raised the value of the franchise and increased the chances that Melnyk cashes his chips.

And I will continue to withhold my $ from the Sens until he sells or does a complete about face, apologizes to the fan base and spends the money to run a first class organization.

 

[jbeck5]

Agreed. Parity in the NHL is insane. Look at the standings this year compared to last. Colorado, Edmonton, Chicago, Vegas are all performing insanely different than expected. One bad streak can derail a season, and once it's derailed, it's hard to get back on track.

Not only that, but I don't know how people can say we're doomed to mediocrity and that we need to go to one extreme or the other. That's not how hockey works. First of all, last season was not mediocrity, we were in the final 3. We made the playoffs 16 of the last 20 seasons. That's not mediocrity.

Last year was mediocrity with a hot streak at the right time. Let's be serious. They were a negative goal differential.

When was the last time we had a top 10 goal differential in the NHL? Maybe 10 years ago. We've been mediocre for a long time.

 

[swiftwin]

Sorry, I stopped reading as I couldn’t get past ‘Alfy’ and “...I have seen this team during the best of times and the worst of times.”

Worst of times:
1992/93 Season. ONE road win.
Best of times:
1992/93 Season. Ottawa has an NHL team!

Be thankful for what you have. Be entertained and appreciative that you’re able to watch NHL hockey in Ottawa. That you’re able to see elite talent like Karlsson, have been able to watch the progression of a guy like Mark Stone. That we were one win away from a Stanley Cup birth at the end of an unlikely, yet magical season.
The ‘Ups-and-Downs’ in sports is what leaves us feeling elated, and defeated. Just remember that it’s not an entitlement. Being able to feel ‘embarrased’ about your orginization is far better than wishing you were able to. Just ask Quebec, Seattle (NBA) Winnipeg and Minnesota (the first time around) and all the other Pro sports teams lost over the years.
Choosing a sports team, to me, is like entering a marriage. It’s the unity of being able to get through the ‘for better or worse’
And I for one am still smitten for my team after all these years.
Take it from us old guys who grew up without the luxury of NHL hockey. It’s better to have a ****ty team to cheer for than none at all.
Or you could always join the Leafs fan base. I hear they enjoy jumping on/off wagons.

Bingo!

There's nothing to be embarrassed. We're that plucky small market team that somehow manages to be successful despite terrible ownership and difficult market conditions and so on. The run we went on last year was the proudest I've been a Sens fan. Moreso than 2007 or 2003.

We're easily the most successful Canadian team in the last 20 years despite being the smallest market.
We've made the playoffs 16 of the last 20 seasons.
We've had multiple deep playoff runs: 2003, 2007, 2017
We've had truly magical storylines: 2017 with MacArthur's concussion to series winning goal against BOS, Anderson's wife to having a phenomenal playoff, Ryan's mother dying to being the team's top scorer, and being constantly overlooked; 2015 by setting a record for making the playoffs after being 11pts out, the Hamburglar coming from the ECHL, 3-0 comeback against the Pens in one of the last games of the season
We have the most exciting, most talented defenseman the league has seen in decades.

Short of actually winning a cup, we've been so f***ing spoiled. Enough of the mopey whiny shit. We're having a shit season. So f***ing what? It sucks, but you take the good with the bad. The future still looks good. Karlsson is still with us, we still have a solid young core, and we have some talented prospects in the pipe.

Guess what? There are 30 teams every year that won't win the cup. Not only that, but only 4 different teams have won it since 2009. If not winning a cup brings you down that much, then you probably shouldn't follow this sport. It's a huge league.

 

[swiftwin]

Last year was mediocrity with a hot streak at the right time. Let's be serious. They were a negative goal differential.

When was the last time we had a top 10 goal differential in the NHL? Maybe 10 years ago. We've been mediocre for a long time.

Wrong. 3 years ago.

 

[jbeck5]

Ok, sit at home dude. He just landed a landmark deal that will transform the city landscape. He isn't going anywhere.

This doesn't make sense. The fact they have a deal in place for an arena doesn't have much baring on if he sells or not. I've heard many business insiders suggest that once the deal is in place, the sens value will go up, and he would make a killing selling the team. He could make like 200-300 million more than what he paid for the team. There's many people suggesting he is looking to sell and the fact he says "I'm not selling" is just standard practice.

If you look deeper, you can find many reasons why now would be the time to sell. Before he has to use his own money to build the arena. Just getting approval means he can sell the team for that much more.

 

[jbeck5]

So, isn't that what had us rolling out a D corps(e) that had both of Cowen and Wiercioch with the expectation that they'd be top 4 guys?

I like the strategy of signing a guy like gonchar if we have a hole in our D instead of A) losing a trade or b) hoping a rookie pans out.

But that's too expensive for our owner these days.

 

[jbeck5]

Wrong. 3 years ago.

I stand corrected. We finished exactly 10th 3 years ago as our only time in the top 10 since 07-08. One year we were better than average over the course of the full season. Fun stuffff!

 

[swiftwin]

I like the strategy of signing a guy like gonchar if we have a hole in our D instead of A) losing a trade or b) hoping a rookie pans out.

But that's too expensive for our owner these days.

Which defenseman did we trade for recently?

 

[jbeck5]

Which defenseman did we trade for recently?

None recently i don't think. But forwards we have.

I've always been an advocate of filling the holes in the offseason through FA compared to making a panic trade mid season. I'm not confident in our GM's ability to outright win a trade like the turris or yashin deals.

Basically, i'm sick of this strategy that has happened far too often:

In the summer everyone says "we need a top 6 forward" *the handful of top 6 forwards sign elsewhere* ...we go into the season short a top 6 forward...we pay a 1st or 2nd round draft pick to acquire the top 6 forward... instead of keeping all top 6 forwards from playoff run, we lose one...fans say we need one more top 6 forward...we don't sign one...go into the season short one...trade for one at the deadline. over and over again. Rinse and repeat. More often then not, we've identified a hole in off season that we refused to fill only to give up assets to fill at the end of the year.

Look at how often we said "were short a top 6 or top 9 forward" only to have our team refuse to spend the 3-6 million for the full year, but would rather get that player for only a quarter of the year to pay them only a quarter of their salary...all while throwing away picks and prospects to do so...all while having capspace.

We did this with comrie. Had him. Wouldn't resign him. Then traded a first for him and campoli a year or two later.

Instead of signing him, we kept trading away assets to bring him in at the end. Things like that get annoying.

 

[coladin]

The landmark deal raised the value of the franchise and increased the chances that Melnyk cashes his chips.

And I will continue to withhold my $ from the Sens until he sells or does a complete about face, apologizes to the fan base and spends the money to run a first class organization.

Okie dokie. I hear the Harlem Globetrotters are looking for fans. I don't think you will ever be disappointed.

 

[coladin]

This doesn't make sense. The fact they have a deal in place for an arena doesn't have much baring on if he sells or not. I've heard many business insiders suggest that once the deal is in place, the sens value will go up, and he would make a killing selling the team. He could make like 200-300 million more than what he paid for the team. There's many people suggesting he is looking to sell and the fact he says "I'm not selling" is just standard practice.

If you look deeper, you can find many reasons why now would be the time to sell. Before he has to use his own money to build the arena. Just getting approval means he can sell the team for that much more.

There is so much money to be made here, on top of increasing his asset all the while. In ten years, everything will be worth more, maybe double. There is no better investment than land. "Once it's gone, it's gone...they are not making new land" as my late father would say. The amount of residential buildings that will be going in there is a lot more than Devcore, the plan I actually preferred. He is right smack dab in the middle of the city.

He isn't going anywhere.

 

[Sensung]

Okie dokie. I hear the Harlem Globetrotters are looking for fans. I don't think you will ever be disappointed.

Wow, that is some of the worst deflecting I've ever seen.

The deal raised the value of the team, so the chance exists that Melnyk will choose to sell at this time.

Fans have many legitimate reasons to be pissed off at this owner. To pretend otherwise is just idiocy.

 

[jbeck5]

There is so much money to be made here, on top of increasing his asset all the while. In ten years, everything will be worth more, maybe double. There is no better investment than land. "Once it's gone, it's gone...they are not making new land" as my late father would say. The amount of residential buildings that will be going in there is a lot more than Devcore, the plan I actually preferred. He is right smack dab in the middle of the city.

He isn't going anywhere.

He wouldn't own the land though. The NCC still owns the land. So there goes that.

 

[topshelf15]

He wouldn't own the land though. The NCC still owns the land. So there goes that.

Nobody ever owns their land ...

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

There is so much money to be made here, on top of increasing his asset all the while. In ten years, everything will be worth more, maybe double. There is no better investment than land. "Once it's gone, it's gone...they are not making new land" as my late father would say. The amount of residential buildings that will be going in there is a lot more than Devcore, the plan I actually preferred. He is right smack dab in the middle of the city.

He isn't going anywhere.

I do believe its the other partner in the Rendevous bid that will be the one profiting from the condos, not Melynk.

 

[coladin]

Wow, that is some of the worst deflecting I've ever seen.

The deal raised the value of the team, so the chance exists that Melnyk will choose to sell at this time.

Fans have many legitimate reasons to be pissed off at this owner. To pretend otherwise is just idiocy.

Wasn't deflecting, just laughing at your reason for not going.

Legitimate? Well, that is up for some serious debate. I think people, especially on this tragic fan site, are going overboard with the Melnyk bashing. Don't like him, personally, but you see, I don't have to. He employs my favourite team, and my favourite players. Good enough for me, but go get your pitchfork and torch with the rest of them here. Value is only going up from the dump that the land is now.

He

Ain't

Selling.

 

[coladin]

He wouldn't own the land though. The NCC still owns the land. So there goes that.

I understand that it will be sold with the soil cleanup costs deducted, unless I am mistaken.

 

[coladin]

I do believe its the other partner in the Rendevous bid that will be the one profiting from the condos, not Melynk.

Don't see how there isn't a mutual agreement where everyone gets a piece here. I am guessing as others but why would Melnyk only get the arena when that is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg? If I were him, I wouldn't do that deal.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Which defenseman did we trade for recently?

Phaneuf ... I guess its depends on "recency"

 

[Sensung]

Wasn't deflecting, just laughing at your reason for not going.

Legitimate? Well, that is up for some serious debate. I think people, especially on this tragic fan site, are going overboard with the Melnyk bashing. Don't like him, personally, but you see, I don't have to. He employs my favourite team, and my favourite players. Good enough for me, but go get your pitchfork and torch with the rest of them here. Value is only going up from the dump that the land is now.

He

Ain't

Selling.

If he does sell within the next year, will you stop posting here?