lmfao. I called this "strategy" as soon as they said that. They think we're a bunch of idiots.
Ya, other than to the few Melnyk die hards left, it was painfully obvious it was going this way.
Maybe it has nothing to do with them thinking the fan base are a "bunch of idiots" or that "Melnyk die hards" are going to defend this. Maybe this is a genuinely difficult decision that can shape the fortunes of this team for the next decade+, if done right.
Yes, the optics are bad. Yes, the whole of the NHL sees every move Ottawa makes through the prism of money or budgets.
But maybe this is about a team that looks like it's been spinning its f***ing wheels for the last 10 years, has a massive lottery ticket they can sell that can potentially turn around their fortunes but requires a small amount of short term sacrifice.
It's almost impossible in the NHL these days to palate these contracts that pay players more than $10 million per season. And it seems like it almost doesn't matter who that player is. Go through the list of teams with guys getting paid over $8.5 million (no less $10+ million) and you're starting to see the effects of players having down years and the perception around their contracts.
Look at how much acrimony there is over Stamkos' performance in the ECF. How much of his performance is directly related to the salary he's paid? How much harsher would the conversation be if Stamkos was getting paid $10 million? $11 million? $12 million? $13 million?
Aren't these the same things we should be discussing about Karlsson? The Erik Karlsson who wins Norris trophies and has a PPG season is worth $12 million per year. But what about the Karlsson that has 9 goals, 53 assists and a -25 rating? How many people would be ok with that guy making $12+ million per year? How long before the fanbase would start talking about trading him?
Look, I love Karlsson as much as anyone else in this fanbase. The amount of joy he's brought to us since he put on an Ottawa jersey is not something I would trade away. But going forward? You have to start thinking about how the hell this team is going to ever win a championship with the group they have. Maybe Karlsson is part of that potentially winning group. Maybe he's not. But I wouldn't begrudge the management for having that conversation and thinking about it seriously. In fact, they should be commended for having these kinds of conversations that are extremely difficult to approach. At least it shows there's a desire to build a winner here and not just to placate a fanbase because they like a guy, even if he is one of the most popular in team history.