Ottawa Senators : Darkest Hour

[aragorn]

I’m fine with optimism, but it’s going to take some time for me to be able to look on the bright side of this one.

We’re in a bad situation. There may not be another team in the NHL in a worse situation, as it stands.

Arizona, Buffalo & Florida seem worse, Montreal looks like a tire fire, if Tavares walks the Islanders are done, Detroit, Carolina & Colorado could go either way next yr.

Ottawa still has Stone, Duchene, Hoffman, Pageau, Chabot & a few other good prospects coming. And the amount of good prospect should increase with every deal in picks & prospects. The good news is that it's getting warmer outside, the snow is melting, Spring & summer are coming & the NHL season will soon be over. Life is too short, enjoy yourself.

 

[swiftwin]

Arizona, Buffalo & Florida seem worse, Montreal looks like a tire fire, if Tavares walks the Islanders are done, Detroit, Carolina & Colorado could go either way next yr.

Ottawa still has Stone, Duchene, Hoffman, Pageau, Chabot & a few other good prospects coming. And the amount of good prospect should increase with every deal in picks & prospects. The good news is that it's getting warmer outside, the snow is melting, Spring & summer are coming & the NHL season will soon be over. Life is too short, enjoy yourself.

Agree with this, HOWEVER, this doesn't solve the problem of Melnyk. We're in a race to the cap floor right now. These guys are as good as gone too if Melnyk doesn't sell the team.

 

[TeamRenzo]

Feels like the organization is on the brink. Only thing worse would be a confirmation that the team is being relocated...which honestly wouldn't surprise me if it happens after Melnyk sees the fan reaction of a Karlsson trade.

I seriously doubt the league would allow Melnyk to move the franchise.

 

[swiftwin]

2003 was pretty bad for different reasons. In 2003, I was worried about relocation, I wasn't worried about the players on the team or the on ice performance.

Now? The opposite. I'm not worried about relocation. The NHL will never allow it, especially with the new arena coming. But I am gutted by the fact that the owner is literally pillaging everything from top to bottom for his own selfish greed. No good player will ever want to play for this team as long as Melnyk owns it.

 

[aragorn]

2003 was pretty bad for different reasons. In 2003, I was worried about relocation, I wasn't worried about the players on the team or the on ice performance.

Now? The opposite. I'm not worried about relocation. The NHL will never allow it, especially with the new arena coming. But I am gutted by the fact that the owner is literally pillaging everything from top to bottom for his own selfish greed. No good player will ever want to play for this team as long as Melnyk owns it.

The young players have no choice, poor guys.

 

[Take a Bath Son]

I just don't believe with the lebreton deal in place, you are going to see any movement of this franchise. It would be the equivalent of throwing stocks or dollar bills into a fire. Individual owners might be crazy but the NHL is a solid business with solid business acumen.

the revenue potential at lebreton is huge. Not maple leafs huge but huge for what is left for markets in North America.

Melnyk will sell if this negative push from the fans keeps up. His current accounts will suffer the longer he hangs on. The franchise value will stay the same with the deal in place. the NHL wants the expansion revenue so he isn't moving to Seattle or Houston.

He is in a catch 22. The fans hold the cards and they know it. This will play out nicely but it will be very ugly for some time.

 

[swiftwin]

I just don't believe with the lebreton deal in place, you are going to see any movement of this franchise. It would be the equivalent of throwing stocks or dollar bills into a fire. Individual owners might be crazy but the NHL is a solid business with solid business acumen.

the revenue potential at lebreton is huge. Not maple leafs huge but huge for what is left for markets in North America.

Melnyk will sell if this negative push from the fans keeps up. His current accounts will suffer the longer he hangs on. The franchise value will stay the same with the deal in place. the NHL wants the expansion revenue so he isn't moving to Seattle or Houston.

He is in a catch 22. The fans hold the cards and they know it. This will play out nicely but it will be very ugly for some time.

Exactly. The NHL is not stupid. They know Ottawa is a good hockey market. They also understand the importance of a good development/arena. Why do you think Bettman is always going around fighting for new arenas in Edmonton, Calgary, Arizona, etc?

Lebreton is a prime prime location in a great hockey market. It doesn't get much better than that. It'll skyrocket the value of the franchise.

Both the NHL and Melnyk are salivating at this Lebreton development. Melnyk has dollar signs in his eyes right now wants a piece of that pie, but he can't afford it, so he's gutting the team for his personal greed.

Ofcourse there are other potential buyers. This is an easy easy money making opportunity.

 

[lancepitlick]

Melnyk has always been a pretty bad owner. Yes, he rescued the team, but it's hard to think of many public statements he's made in the last decade that didn't make you roll your eyes. Pure speculation on my part, but I do wonder the impact of Bryan Murray's illness and later death had on things. I wonder whether Murray was able to push back more, or, at the very least, keep Melnyk's nonsense away from the day-to-day lives of the players.

At a minimum he was someone the players respected and could deal with. Dorion not so much.

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

Exactly. The NHL is not stupid. They know Ottawa is a good hockey market. They also understand the importance of a good development/arena. Why do you think Bettman is always going around fighting for new arenas in Edmonton, Calgary, Arizona, etc?

Lebreton is a prime prime location in a great hockey market. It doesn't get much better than that. It'll skyrocket the value of the franchise.

Both the NHL and Melnyk are salivating at this Lebreton development. Melnyk has dollar signs in his eyes right now wants a piece of that pie, but he can't afford it, so he's gutting the team for his personal greed.

Ofcourse there are other potential buyers. This is an easy easy money making opportunity.

Where do you get this garbage from? LOL

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

This is dog chow's darkest hour

 

[swiftwin]

Where do you get this garbage from? LOL

Have you been living under a rock? He gutted almost the entire front office over the past year. Now he's forcing Dorion to sell players at all cost.

 

[Rodzilla]

We were 1 goal away from the finals last year, why does it look like we are planning on tearing it down?
I'm fine with the Gustavsson trade because I absolutely hate our goalies, but man, don't tear everything down. Why try to trade Karlsson? He's a top 3 player in the world ffs.

 

[phillyknuckles]

At a minimum he was someone the players respected and could deal with. Dorion not so much.

Yup. This. People may have hated Murray for whatever reasons, but at least he was respected by his peers, the players, the media. He talked. You listened. Dorion is like the polar opposite. Sometimes I wonder who he has tapes on to be in his position.

 

[swiftwin]

Yup. This. People may have hated Murray for whatever reasons, but at least he was respected by his peers, the players, the media. He talked. You listened. Dorion is like the polar opposite. Sometimes I wonder who he has tapes on to be in his position.

It's funny because people around here used to rag on Murray for running an old buys club.

Y'all got your wish.

Enjoy.

 

[SensAreSoClose]

 

[L'Aveuglette]

Yup. This. People may have hated Murray for whatever reasons, but at least he was respected by his peers, the players, the media. He talked. You listened. Dorion is like the polar opposite. Sometimes I wonder who he has tapes on to be in his position.

His greatest power was probably to keep Melnyk away from the team as much as possible. Not a coincidence that since Murray has passed, things have gotten way out of hand.

So while Murray has his faults, he did keep this organisation on the respectable side of things.

 

[lancepitlick]

It's funny because people around here used to rag on Murray for running an old buys club.

Y'all got your wish.

Enjoy.

Not exactly. I thought Murray was a bit of a dinosaur, but I respected the guy based on his past as a coach/GM. I just think the game had passed him by.

I think Dorion is a dinosaur that never had anyone's respect. If I could have picked a GM it'd be someone younger and savvier.

Dorion doesn't have the respect or connections that an ex coach/player does and doesn't have the business acumen or analytic ability of a non hockey person (think Daryl Morey). IMO.

 

[Spezza]

And we did. Where have you been?

We did last year - but trading our best player doesn't qualify as going for it.

 

[JD1]

Not exactly. I thought Murray was a bit of a dinosaur, but I respected the guy based on his past as a coach/GM. I just think the game had passed him by.

I think Dorion is a dinosaur that never had anyone's respect. If I could have picked a GM it'd be someone younger and savvier.

Dorion doesn't have the respect or connections that an ex coach/player does and doesn't have the business acumen or analytic ability of a non hockey person (think Daryl Morey). IMO.

Dorion is in his upper 40s and has never worked in anything other than hockey. how is he a non hockey person?

 

[NewEraGM]

Ottawa franchise had what was coming for them....fans are mad at melnyk and rightly so. Complete and utter betrayal on his part to his players and fans. That being said, not being able to fill a stadium in the 3rd round of playoffs is a complete and utter joke as well on the fans part. I don’t care how far the rink is or how bad the parking is, you should be able to fill it..

Ottawa is not a hockey town for NHL and melnyk knows it. It’s just not a fit imo. Too many are either leafs or habs fans....

 

[JD1]

Exactly. The NHL is not stupid. They know Ottawa is a good hockey market. They also understand the importance of a good development/arena. Why do you think Bettman is always going around fighting for new arenas in Edmonton, Calgary, Arizona, etc?

Lebreton is a prime prime location in a great hockey market. It doesn't get much better than that. It'll skyrocket the value of the franchise.

Both the NHL and Melnyk are salivating at this Lebreton development. Melnyk has dollar signs in his eyes right now wants a piece of that pie, but he can't afford it, so he's gutting the team for his personal greed.

Ofcourse there are other potential buyers. This is an easy easy money making opportunity.

you'v said Melnyk's greed twice now. I don't see this as a greed issue. I don' think he's making money on the entire operation without a bit of playoff revenue. Now he is staring at the cost of a new arena which is likely in the 500 to 600 M range. A few years of development time in say 200 increments per year. the interest adds up without the revenue streams. He has about 700M of non Sens net worth but that isn' liquid net worth. I dont think what' happening here is a greed thing, I think it's a "I don't have 200 a year to take out of my pocket" thing. We need the rink. Getting it built is going to be expensive and EM could use a cash infusion.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

you'v said Melnyk's greed twice now. I don't see this as a greed issue. I don' think he's making money on the entire operation without a bit of playoff revenue. Now he is staring at the cost of a new arena which is likely in the 500 to 600 M range. A few years of development time in say 200 increments per year. the interest adds up without the revenue streams. He has about 700M of non Sens net worth but that isn' liquid net worth. I dont think what' happening here is a greed thing, I think it's a "I don't have 200 a year to take out of my pocket" thing. We need the rink. Getting it built is going to be expensive and EM could use a cash infusion.

Since when do billionaires pull money out of their own pocket for a project like this? What happened to all the financing and lenders lining up to be a part of Lebreton that Melynk supporters were talking about a month ago? Can't have it both ways here.

 

[Sensung]

Since when do billionaires pull money out of their own pocket for a project like this? What happened to all the financing and lenders lining up to be a part of Lebreton that Melynk supporters were talking about a month ago? Can't have it both ways here.

Good point

 

[lancepitlick]

Dorion is in his upper 40s and has never worked in anything other than hockey. how is he a non hockey person?

He's only ever been a scout. Most GMs have been a player, coach or have been around as a GM for a long time.

I doubt being a scout gets you any street cred with players.

 

[Ice-Tray]

Why is it always the same folks who resort to labelling other posters as 'apologists'. Man it's such US political partisanship crap, and an extremely weak way to conduct a discussion.

There are literally zero EM apologists in the forum, like none.

There are a few posters, who have all the same bits of information as you, who look at things slightly differently, or perhaps even the same way, but they choose not to view the situation as the "darkest hour".

Learn to to deal with that different opinion, perhaps engage it to gain understanding, but please try and refrain from behaving like the lowest common denominator by resorting to partisan labelling for comfort and simplicity. We're all so much brighter than that.

I know, I know, now I'm a condescending jerk on my high horse, in my ivory tower again.... Still though, apologists? Come on now folks.