Sportsnet: Erik Karlsson opens up about leaving Ottawa (Video)

[Puikiou]

Nauseating. Felt ill and sick to my stomach.

Click to read more...

 

[Engineer]

ok

 

[YouGotAStuGoing]

You know, I don't think anyone is especially pleased that EK is gone, let alone that he was moved under such shady circumstances. But as I watch this, it sinks in more and more that a big reason why I'm still so upset about this is because Erik was an amazing ambassador for Ottawa. He GETS the city and the culture in a way that few Sens people have. Alfredsson, obviously, comes to mind. Turris. Murray. But it's a short list. EK understands what we're all about. Being understated. Maybe a bit underdoggish. Going about our business without needing flashiness or accolades... but of course striving to be recognized. Having fun with the little things. And most importantly, being straight-shooters and telling it like it is.

It's an ideal I think a lot of us aspire to but not a lot can claim to have hit yet. Karlsson did. Alfredsson did. Turris did. And I feel pretty confident in saying that Karlsson represents the values of a city like Ottawa much better than most people who aren't from the area could ever aspire to, and moreover, more than some people who ARE from the area. Karlsson is much more of an Ottawa boy, in my mind, than Pierre Dorion could ever hope to be.

Trading KArlsson didn't just rip out the franchise's best player. I think on some level, it ripped out the city's heart.

 

[branch]

Yeah this is a sickening interview. So f***ing wrong what happened. He himself is disgusted that he isn't a part of this team. Really not a happy camper.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Karlsson the hockey player is an A++ top of his class player, among the best to ever play the game. Dorion and Melnyk are among the worst ever hockey execs at any level. Trades happen .. I can accept that. Trying to make your team better , now or in the future, I can accept that. The clowns running the show here have zero clue about how to treat people , evaluate talent, assemble a team or architect a rebuild. They have tweaked our team to a laughing stock looking at a last overall finish or close to it with no 1st round pick to look forward to. The 3 top forwards can be UFAs at the end of the year. They made changes to take us from a team that had a chance to a team that has no hope to have a chance. They have ripped out hope from so many fans.

All we can do as sens fans is cheer for the players that are here and on the farm teams. The only hope we have is that Dorion and Melnyk don't screw it up any more.

 

[Puikiou]

You know, I don't think anyone is especially pleased that EK is gone, let alone that he was moved under such shady circumstances. But as I watch this, it sinks in more and more that a big reason why I'm still so upset about this is because Erik was an amazing ambassador for Ottawa. He GETS the city and the culture in a way that few Sens people have. Alfredsson, obviously, comes to mind. Turris. Murray. But it's a short list. EK understands what we're all about. Being understated. Maybe a bit underdoggish. Going about our business without needing flashiness or accolades... but of course striving to be recognized. Having fun with the little things. And most importantly, being straight-shooters and telling it like it is.

It's an ideal I think a lot of us aspire to but not a lot can claim to have hit yet. Karlsson did. Alfredsson did. Turris did. And I feel pretty confident in saying that Karlsson represents the values of a city like Ottawa much better than most people who aren't from the area could ever aspire to, and moreover, more than some people who ARE from the area. Karlsson is much more of an Ottawa boy, in my mind, than Pierre Dorion could ever hope to be.

Trading KArlsson didn't just rip out the franchise's best player. I think on some level, it ripped out the city's heart.

Couldn't agree more.

It's been a month. Trade rumors circulated for a year before that. Yet I'm still stung. I still find myself mumbling «We traded Erik Karlsson...» and being at a complete lost, feeling completely drained and empty. It feels more personal than any hockey related news ever has. The heartache is as vivid as the loss of a first love.

You're right. The city and the fans heart has been ripped out.

 

[Peptic Balcers]

It's just weird to think of a superstar player getting kicked out of town in his prime. Players of Erik Karlsson are so rare, so if they want to stay you do everything in your power to keep them. He is a legacy player, you don't flip those for scraps.

But there's no point of dwelling on this anymore, just feels like these threads end up talking in circles. I won't be surprised if more details come out, it wont make it feel better or worse. Nothing is going to untrade him

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

I just can't believe they basically never had any interest in trying to keep a player like this, just unbelievable really.

 

[Qward]

My take away, besides the stuff with Ottawa, is that he intends to go to free agency. I think the Taveras situation really pushed that decision. The only reason to sign in SJ over free agency is that SJ can offer him an 8 year contract after February. Otherwise he has full control over where he goes and how his contract is structured. And yes, he could return to Ottawa but I think that is only if Melnyk sells and Dorion is fired. That is a lot to ask for before July 1st.

 

[Genuflexion]

I really can't consider myself a fan anymore with this current head office. I just get more angry every time something comes out

 

[Xspyrit]

Only hope is Melnyk sell to a group involving Alfie. EK would then come back I think and the future would be real bright

Chabot-Karlsson
Lajoie-Ceci
Wolanin-Jaros

With JBD and Tychonick developing

But for this to happen, I guess the group interested would have to overpay and involve Melnyk in the Lebreton project...

 

[CTC]

So I was feeling a little acceptance up until now...thanks for sharing...
I have free Glass tickets for the opener tonight and was feeling a bit of hype and this just sent me right back down this roller coaster that is the Ottawa Senators lol.
So awful that he is gone and we do not have one house hold name, prospect or player to rally around.
Can really hope that Euge sells and he comes home.

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

There is no hope.

Ottawa is not Rising, it's Falling hard and fast.

 

[TheGeneral]

Only hope is Melnyk sell to a group involving Alfie. EK would then come back I think and the future would be real bright

Chabot-Karlsson
Lajoie-Ceci
Wolanin-Jaros

With JBD and Tychonick developing

But for this to happen, I guess the group interested would have to overpay and involve Melnyk in the Lebreton project...

Any thoughts on melnyk being open to selling after the Seattle expansion ? Doesn't melnyk stand to get a sizeable chunk of money from that buy in.. and would sell after collecting it? Been discussed already? Anyone know what his cut officially would be?

 

[hawthy]

Karlsson won't play another game in Ottawa. I think regardless of where one falls on the matter of what happened here, you need to recognize that the scenarios by which Karlsson would return are winding, assumptive, narrow and at best, wishful thinking.

Beyond that, I hope the team on the ice exceeds expectations this season, because there's no lottery waiting for us in April should we be a bottom-feeder. Legitimately glad hockey is back and very much looking forward to watching them tonight and for the balance of the season, but I won't lose sight of the rotten mother f***ers who have purged the team of pride and identity and attempted to sell us a rushed and reckless youth movement in its place. Truly I won't - and I sincerely hope people continue to 'vote with their wallet' on how they feel about the direction and competence of their favourite team. This will be the first home opener in....I can't even remember how long....that I haven't purchased tickets for.

To all those going tonight, and I'm being sincere, have fun at games this season. I hope the team surprises us with competitiveness if nothing else. I hope things do improve. I want to feel okay about investing in a team that does things properly and although I don't understand the inexplicably high BS tolerance a select few posters here seem to have for the organization and generally how things have gone for years now (and went full on wildfire since last December), good on you. The organization, as it operates now and for a while now, are very lucky to have - and are undeserving of - your money.

Pointedly, in light of everything that has happened, the biggest of which is dealing a generational, superstar defenceman, I think it's pretty clear that the organization has no real, clear direction. I mean, one glance at the Sens protected list in the expansion draft last year is pretty telling on that front. They are selling "excited about youth movement", but are living "save a dollar" and are not even doing it competently. Last year was "go for it", this year is "rebuild". The direction for a while has been don't spend money. There's no direction aside from that. We don't have the owner or the brainpower in the general manager's chair to have direction. We have some nice prospects and I hope they all pan out, but direction? Nah, there's none of that. They are masters of deceit and lies and Melnyk is paying for it (there's a pun in there somewhere).

Personally, I won't accept blame as a fan for any of this. I have read many of your posts and believe me, I've done so with an open mind. I've read the posts I do agree with critically and I've read the posts I don't agree with critically. I've tried to allow myself to be "convinced" or "swayed”, but as I write this post on the afternoon of the home opener, I feel stronger than ever and justified as f**k to withhold my money and say "no, I don't support, nor do I believe in this". There's no "I told you sos" if they win or lose, if attendance picks up or flounders, if Melnyk sells or stays....I can only speak for myself and act on my feelings. I'll watch and cheer; and be pissed when the lose; and pumped if they win; and be a fan of no one but the Sens as I have been since year 1 and financially since the early 2000s, but it'll be in the background of things. Melnyk and D'Ohrion offer no semblance of stability or track record of competence - for longer than it to be tolerated.

But to finish with the subject of the thread, yeah, that's nauseating. Our favourite team are nothing more than a bunch of cheap, dumb liars, frankly.

Wishing the Sens some surprised success on the ice this season and just waiting to feel comfortable investing again. I'm hopeful the necessary changes come sooner than later for that, organizationally. Whether you agree with the stance or not, it's pretty clear the masses are speaking and I hope are persistent in the message.

GO SENS GO!

 

[YouGotAStuGoing]

 

[Engineer]

ok

 

[Agent Zub]

They didn't offer him a full NMC?

That is an absolute joke.

I don't doubt for a second they would have traded Karlsson the minute he signed a contract without a NTC.

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

What an embarrassment.

 

[coladin]

Karlsson won't play another game in Ottawa. I think regardless of where one falls on the matter of what happened here, you need to recognize that the scenarios by which Karlsson would return are winding, assumptive, narrow and at best, wishful thinking.

Beyond that, I hope the team on the ice exceeds expectations this season, because there's no lottery waiting for us in April should we be a bottom-feeder. Legitimately glad hockey is back and very much looking forward to watching them tonight and for the balance of the season, but I won't lose sight of the rotten mother f***ers who have purged the team of pride and identity and attempted to sell us a rushed and reckless youth movement in its place. Truly I won't - and I sincerely hope people continue to 'vote with their wallet' on how they feel about the direction and competence of their favourite team. This will be the first home opener in....I can't even remember how long....that I haven't purchased tickets for.

To all those going tonight, and I'm being sincere, have fun at games this season. I hope the team surprises us with competitiveness if nothing else. I hope things do improve. I want to feel okay about investing in a team that does things properly and although I don't understand the inexplicably high BS tolerance a select few posters here seem to have for the organization and generally how things have gone for years now (and went full on wildfire since last December), good on you. The organization, as it operates now and for a while now, are very lucky to have - and are undeserving of - your money.

Pointedly, in light of everything that has happened, the biggest of which is dealing a generational, superstar defenceman, I think it's pretty clear that the organization has no real, clear direction. I mean, one glance at the Sens protected list in the expansion draft last year is pretty telling on that front. They are selling "excited about youth movement", but are living "save a dollar" and are not even doing it competently. Last year was "go for it", this year is "rebuild". The direction for a while has been don't spend money. There's no direction aside from that. We don't have the owner or the brainpower in the general manager's chair to have direction. We have some nice prospects and I hope they all pan out, but direction? Nah, there's none of that. They are masters of deceit and lies and Melnyk is paying for it (there's a pun in there somewhere).

Personally, I won't accept blame as a fan for any of this. I have read many of your posts and believe me, I've done so with an open mind. I've read the posts I do agree with critically and I've read the posts I don't agree with critically. I've tried to allow myself to be "convinced" or "swayed”, but as I write this post on the afternoon of the home opener, I feel stronger than ever and justified as f**k to withhold my money and say "no, I don't support, nor do I believe in this". There's no "I told you sos" if they win or lose, if attendance picks up or flounders, if Melnyk sells or stays....I can only speak for myself and act on my feelings. I'll watch and cheer; and be pissed when the lose; and pumped if they win; and be a fan of no one but the Sens as I have been since year 1 and financially since the early 2000s, but it'll be in the background of things. Melnyk and D'Ohrion offer no semblance of stability or track record of competence - for longer than it to be tolerated.

But to finish with the subject of the thread, yeah, that's nauseating. Our favourite team are nothing more than a bunch of cheap, dumb liars, frankly.

Wishing the Sens some surprised success on the ice this season and just waiting to feel comfortable investing again. I'm hopeful the necessary changes come sooner than later for that, organizationally. Whether you agree with the stance or not, it's pretty clear the masses are speaking and I hope are persistent in the message.

GO SENS GO!

So do you believe int his or not? You say you don't support or believe in this team, but you will cheer from home and be mad when they lose. You can't turn that tap off forever. Maybe this year you do, sounds like you do. Hopefully hockey will be fun for you again someday . This doesn't sound like fun.

 

[Puikiou]

I said this at the time of the trade. It was obvious then and obviously even more now:

Unbelievable.

Dorion and that COO Ruzwhatever are lying through their noses and some gullible fans are actually buying it.
They only decided to trade Erik Karlsson in july when big bad Karl wouldn't sign the VERY generous and good-faithed contract offer they made him?
Then how come Bobby Ryan said he and Karl had their bags packed and thought they were gone IN FEBRUARY?

Shameful. Erik Karlsson was nothing but a class act in his time here and left everything on the ice for this team, but of course, the second he asks to be paid fairly, he's this horrible captain with no character that the organization has to move on from for its own good.

That contract they offered him had no signing bonuses and no expansive trade protection (https://theathletic.com/430.... No star player in their right mind anywhere in the league would have signed it. Let alone the very best defenseman in the world, face of the franchise and future hall of famer. It was a slap in the face and THEY KNEW he would never agreed to take it. No s**t his camp didn’t call back or sit down at the negotiation table.

That insulting offer (and the ridiculous timeline they’re depicting now) was a smoke screen designed with the sole purpose of appeasing the angry crowd and of course the angry crowd's buying it. At the town halls they promised to re-sign Karlsson so that people wouldn't cancel their season tickets. Once they secured those precious non-refundable season tickets, they went ahead and did what they always intended to do. Trade Karlsson. On the eve of training camp. A set artificial deadline they had because they never intended to have him there. ‘’I never imagined leaving this place’’, ‘’It was their decision’’, ‘’I wasn’t in their plans’’. Says it all, doesn’t it?

No player, regardless of who it is will be making 10M+ under the current regime. This is the same management that drove Alfie out of town over what? 500K-1M? Same management Alfie walked away from a second time and Tom Anselmi (bless him), a respectable businessman resigned from just a few months into office. I feel sorry for the fans who believe that the Karlsson trade and this ‘’rebuild’’ without a 1st masquerade they’re pulling off are anything but money driven. Those fans will be relieved to know that the people at the top are probably cooking them another brilliant timeline to justify the Duchene and Stone trades for magic beans at this very moment.

Anybody with an half critical mind could see the writing on the wall with Karlsson and most GMs aren’t stupid (shocking given ours, I know). They ganged up on Dorion and refused to put forth their best offers till the bitter end because they knew, one way or the other, they had him by the throat.

Those two clowns, Dorion and the other puppet mentioned a ''vocal minority'' in their interview this morning and even the interviewer (bless her and the balls Mendes and co. wish they had) asked them if they were being TONE DEAF. They should conduct that poll they’re bragging about now. You know... AFTER the biggest trade in franchise history and see if it's still a ''vocal minority'' they're dealing with. I guess none of them stopped to consider that maybe that ''vocal minority'' constitutes some of the die-hard fans who invests their hard earned money into season tickets, merchandise, etc.

Again, I'm excited to see what the kids can do this year. I really am. And I couldn't switch team or turn my back on the Sens if I tried. I ****ing bleed Sens. But no way I'm putting a penny more into that mess at the top. As long as the same people will run this organization, no money of mine will go into their pockets and I'll be watching the games from home. Good luck to those who show up to the CTC. Enjoy those 12$ parking spots.

Doug Wilson flew to Ottawa to meet Erik Karlsson and discuss about the Sharks' organization and how they see him fitting in their future. They had billboards welcoming Erik up in San Jose. They had whole newspaper pages welcoming him to their team. They're still treating him like royalty because they want him to stay.

We had him. We didn't have to do any of that. He wanted to stay. All we had to do was to make him a fair offer and he would have stayed. But alas, that was never in the cards.

 

[HavlatMach9]

I said this at the time of the trade. It was obvious then and obviously even more now:



Doug Wilson flew to Ottawa to meet Erik Karlsson and discuss about the Sharks' organization and how they see him fitting in their future. They had billboards welcoming Erik Karlsson up in San Jose. They had whole newspaper pages welcoming him to their team. They're treating him like royalty because they want him to stay.

We had him. We didn't have to do any of that. He wanted to stay. All we had to do was to make him a fair offer and he would have stayed. But alas, that was never in the cards.

the owner flew down as well if i'm remembering correctly

 

[Korpse]

All we had to do was to make him a fair offer and he would have stayed.

This seems to be the narrative post trade but given everything that came out pre trade I personally have a hard time believing that. There was a lot of talk Karlsson was unhappy and wanted out of the organization. He had his reasons and I have no problems with that but this shift to ‘all we had to do was to offer him a fair contract’ narrative is just fuelled by anger, I don’t think there’s much merit to it.

 

[Tnuoc Alucard]

I just can't believe they basically never had any interest in trying to keep a player like this, just unbelievable really.

They offered him, reportedly, 88 million US dollars..... guaranteed, and neither he or his agent got back to the Senators about the offer.

He said "they could have still traded me" ...... yes they could have, but he knew he would be traded if he did not accept, of negotiate the extension. ........... so either way he's traded.

Difference being is now he only has a guaranteed 6.5 million, instead of a reportedly, guaranteed 88 million ........ so for his sake, I hope he remains healthy, and reaches Unrestricted free agency without suffering a career ending injury.............. that reportedly 88 million he left on the table, in Ottawa, would look pretty pretty pretty good if that happened.

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

They offered him, reportedly, 88 million US dollars..... guaranteed, and neither he or his agent got back to the Senators about the offer.

He said "they could have still traded me" ...... yes they could have, but he knew he would be traded if he did not accept, of negotiate the extension. ........... so either way he's traded.

Difference being is now he only has a guaranteed 6.5 million, instead of a reportedly, guaranteed 88 million ........ so for his sake, I hope he remains healthy, and reaches Unrestricted free agency without suffering a career ending injury.............. that reportedly 88 million he left on the table, in Ottawa, would look pretty pretty pretty good if that happened.

They offered it reportedly without the expected bonus structure and no NMC. It's not a real offer when you know it's not going to come close to being accepted. Knowing it wouldn't be considered, I'm not convinced they had the finances to back that offer up in the first place.

It was all part of a poorly written play they tried to put over the fans.