I understand that you're banking on EM being forced to sell as justification for boycotting the team, but what will you do if he isn't forced to sell, what then?
For myself, as a hardcore fan, I don't need Melnyk to sell. What I would like to see, though, is:
• A major investment in the on-ice future of this team by re-signing Stone and Duchene to long-term contracts. So far, all we've heard are empty platitudes from both the players and management. "I want to stay, we want them here... blah blah blah." That's the same thing we heard from Karlsson and Dorion in September 2017. There's been nothing concrete, and until I see a press release with signed contract terms, I'm not going to buy-in to this "rebuild". I agree that we've seen promise this year with Tkachuk, Chabot, Lajoie, Batherson, etc. They all look great. If we lose Stone and Duchene though, it all goes back to 0.
• An investment into upper-level management. Filling the COO, CMO and Assistant GM roles are not investments, they're back-fills for people who left. Unlike some, I don't think Dorion is a complete idiot. I think he's actually a really good evaluator of talent. But, he's a terrible communicator and he's very junior in his role. He needs help, and Melnyk, Ruszkowski and a contract lawyer shouldn't be his sounding board for hockey decisions. This team needs a President of Hockey Operations to give Dorion guidance. Think of someone like John Davidson in Columbus or Brendan Shanahan in Toronto. Someone established and respected. One of the biggest assets of having Bryan Murray around was that he held a lot of weight around the hockey world and was a great buffer between Melnyk and the hockey side of the franchise. Look what's happened since he's left.
• Eugene Melnyk to stay away from hockey ops. Be an owner. Come to games as a fan. Talk about the business-side of the team. Provide updates on Lebreton. But stop talking about hockey decisions. Stop commenting on player salaries, how much coaches should be paid, or hosting video fire-side chats with Mark Borowiecki. Act like a normal owner.
For most casual fans though, it goes beyond just hockey ops. For this team to successful in the long-term, Lebreton needs to happen.
Personally, I don't think Melnyk is the guy who can pull it off, which is why he won't be here in 5 years. Pulling off Lebreton is going to be one hell of a project. The amount of coordination and patience to navigate through the immense amount of red tape is incredible, and those are not skills that Melnyk possesses. He's a grifter and wants things to go his way, and only his way. The guy who was instrumental in winning him the bid, Cyril Leeder, is gone. The guy he brought in the see the project through, Tom Anselmi, is gone. Who's left, Melnyk and Ruszkowski, a former political PR guy? Not the most confidence-inspiring group.
Winning the bid was just the start of a very long journey. It doesn't, at all, mean that the NCC can't move forward with a different group for the development, and that's what I think will happen.
Saying that most people only want to watch entertaining hockey is just not true. The industry has changed since the 90's and early 00's. When people are shelling out a couple hundred bucks for a night, they want an experience, not just a hockey game. They can watch an entertaining hockey game in 4k at home. People need more.
The experience of going out to Kanata sucks, and that won't change. There's nowhere to eat, nowhere to have a drink, nothing. Pro sports is not just about the sport. That's why in every league, you see teams move back in downtown areas. That's why watching a game in Montreal or Toronto is so different. That's why the Redblacks have succeeded.