Speculation: Impact of Budget on Team Culture/Morale

[SuperDuper101]

If you guys are anything like me, you probably found that Conancher getting waived was very confusing. The guy is young, battles every single night and comes out on both the right side of possession numbers & percentage of goals for vs. goals against while he's on the ice. It just didn't smell right. That feeling only got exacerbated when we learned that there was a plethora of teams who wanted to get him.

There are a couple of things that stick out in my mind after thinking about this decision. The first is that B. Murray is all class. It's very likely he could have got a 3rd-7th rounder for Conacher. Instead, he gave him to T.Murray knowing that he will in all likelihood get a better shot at playing in Buffalo than anywhere else. This guy cares about his players and that's a good thing.

The second, although I can't remember who brought it up, is that when a two-way contract gets claimed off waivers the other team not only takes the players salary but also has to pay a fee to do so meaning Ottawa recouped cash in the deal. It was an every penny counts situation. This is further evidenced by us dealing an extra pick for cash to get Hemsky at only 50% salary. Now we move on to tonight, Kassian is once again in the lineup. There are many better options (DaCosta first on my list) who could give us more punch in our bottom six forwards. It's inconceivable that a team who really wants to compete for a playoff spot is going to play Kassian, except that it saves them the money of calling someone up.

P-Mac complains about the team not working hard enough after the last few games. Well how about management? Eugene in my mind isn't working hard enough to make this team a contender. I'm all for running the team on a practical budget rather than reckless runaway spending but this penny pinching is ridiculous. The reason we aren't in the playoffs is because we tried to cheap out and go with a young defense. It's not even really that big a surprise that this blew up in our faces even though most of us (myself included) thought Cowen and Wier could handle top four roles.

Now even as we come down to the goal line Stone, DaCosta & Pageau are sitting on the sidelines for slugs like Neil, Greening & Kassian. It makes no sense whatsoever from a hockey perspective. We obviously aren't playing to win. We're playing to save money and then maybe if we get lucky win. There is no doubt in my mind that this kind of decision making poisons the well in that dressing room. The guys are professionals and they will still do the best they can but it's not the same motivation and knowing management is behind you 100%. Watching a good guy like Conacher leave the team to save a few hundred thousand stings. It stings every guy in there, and it probably pisses them off too. This started with the cheapskate departure of Alfie and it's only continuing. Ottawa fans should band together to kick out this cheapskate owner and Alfie & Conacher should be the poster boys for why we want him gone.

I say we from a group that offers a simple message. We grow this group as loud as we can. The message should be a positive one. We will only buy tickets as fans if you ensure us that we will not cast aside players like Alfie or Conacher to save a few bucks. I will not support a team that does not support it's players. I do not need the owner of the team I support to spend recklessly, but I do need him/her to spend appropriately to ensure we keep the talent we have in Ottawa. Do this, or sell the team. There is no middle ground.

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[BankStreetParade]

Holy Jesus, Joseph and Mary. The revisionism this fanbase has displayed all year is absolutely mindblowing. Maybe instead of getting a new owner we can get some new fans.

Before the season, Sens fans: We have a great young roster. We're poised to get better as the young guns get more experience.

After the team struggles: Melnyk is pennypinching. We needed a veteran presence. SpENd MoRE moNeieys LlOlOlOllolOLolOl

That's just the tip of the iceberg. Can't even be bothered to address the rest of the revisionist lunacy in that post.

 

[Senacus Maximus]

Holy Jesus, Joseph and Mary. The revisionism this fanbase has displayed all year is absolutely mindblowing. Maybe instead of getting a new owner we can get some new fans.

Before the season, Sens fans: We have a great young roster. We're poised to get better as the young guns get more experience.

After the team struggles: Melnyk is pennypinching. We needed a veteran presence. SpENd MoRE moNeieys LlOlOlOllolOLolOl

That's just the tip of the iceberg. Can't even be bothered to address the rest of the revisionist lunacy in that post.

But Melnyk IS penny-pinching and we did lose an important veteran presence because of this.

I fail to see the point of your post.

 

[thinkwild]

There is a middle ground, thats part of the problem. Fans seem to think we are either rebuilding or contending. No middle ground. No hard part. Well welcome to life. There's a hard middle part. And middle time between rebuilding and contending also needed.

The team one day will find its critical mass of perfectly blended roles and it will click.

It is a bit funny that you are bemoaning the team spending on rookie d and as a solution want more rookies brought up.

I say we form a group with a simple message. A rebuild can take 10 years. And its hard.

 

[Larionov]

I keep hearing about how we should be spending more money, but no one ever says on who. Putting aside the Alfie drama, is there a player we missed on last summer? Consensus is that we did well to avoid giving Gonchar his retirement contract. We made a smart signing in MacArthur, and picked up Ryan when Anaheim needed to shed salary. Who else should we have signed? This coming summer, for instance, there will be almost no forwards of consequence on the open market - every player worth discussing has been extended by their clubs.

Bottom line is that Melnyk has never cheaped out on re-signing his own core players, and has dipped into free agency when need be. If we fall right to the floor and start dumping key vets for picks and prospects, then I'll listen to the budget arguments. Right now, though, they are a red herring.

 

[Busboy]

Holy Jesus, Joseph and Mary. The revisionism this fanbase has displayed all year is absolutely mindblowing. Maybe instead of getting a new owner we can get some new fans.

Before the season, Sens fans: We have a great young roster. We're poised to get better as the young guns get more experience.

After the team struggles: Melnyk is pennypinching. We needed a veteran presence. SpENd MoRE moNeieys LlOlOlOllolOLolOl

That's just the tip of the iceberg. Can't even be bothered to address the rest of the revisionist lunacy in that post.

Yes, yes, a million times yes.

I'm embarrassed to be a Sens fan and it has nothing to do with Eugene and everything to do with the impatient, ungrateful, speculative fan base.

We have a good young core. We were never going to be a contender this year and management was wise not to sign contracts that would hurt us long term.

We don't know why Conacher was waived, don't pretend like it's a foregone conclusion that the decision was made for monetary purposes.

 

[BonkTastic]

I'm embarrassed to be a Sens fan and it has nothing to do with Eugene and everything to do with the impatient, ungrateful, speculative fan base.

We have a good young core. We were never going to be a contender this year and management was wise not to sign contracts that would hurt us long term.

If we were never going to be a contender this year, why give up a 1st round pick for Bobby Ryan, who only had 2 years left on his deal at the time, and could end up being a very expensive 2-year rental?

We made moves this off-season to be competitive. Sure, I don't think anyone thought we would win a cup this season, but if we miss the playoffs, part of the blame has to fall squarely on the shoulders of a team that chose to spend $10 mil less than the rest of the pack. We gambled on our blueline, and thought that Wiercioch could replace what Gonchar brought for a fraction of the price, which turned out to be a very bad bet (turns out that replacing 2013 Gonchar with 2014 Gonchar also might have been a bad bet, but I digress).

This team, with Alfie lining up on the RW, is a playoff team. Not a cup contender, sure, but we wouldn't be on the outside looking in.


I don't see why some fans are belly-aching so much due to other fans not being happy about icing a budget team. The only embarrassing thing about Sens fans is the amount of in-fighting that goes on.

 

[alfierulestheworld]

If we were never going to be a contender this year, why give up a 1st round pick for Bobby Ryan, who only had 2 years left on his deal at the time, and could end up being a very expensive 2-year rental?

We made moves this off-season to be competitive. Sure, I don't think anyone thought we would win a cup this season, but if we miss the playoffs, part of the blame has to fall squarely on the shoulders of a team that chose to spend $10 mil less than the rest of the pack. We gambled on our blueline, and thought that Wiercioch could replace what Gonchar brought for a fraction of the price, which turned out to be a very bad bet (turns out that replacing 2013 Gonchar with 2014 Gonchar also might have been a bad bet, but I digress).

This team, with Alfie lining up on the RW, is a playoff team. Not a cup contender, sure, but we wouldn't be on the outside looking in.


I don't see why some fans are belly-aching so much due to other fans not being happy about icing a budget team. The only embarrassing thing about Sens fans is the amount of in-fighting that goes on.

Ryan was signed not to be a contender, but to provide some excitement and to sell tickets. Losing alfie forced management to make that deal.

 

[BonkTastic]

Ryan was signed not to be a contender, but to provide some excitement and to sell tickets. Losing alfie forced management to make that deal.

So, the budget forced management to make that deal?

 

[thinkwild]

And it will force others im sure. That is part of our non big market reality. If only Bettman could get a cba to fix that. Im sure if fans support him for a 4th lockout, it will finally happen.

Getting Edmonton to pay half Hemsky’s salary was another budget decision. Remember that Melnyk said earlier this year that Murray was overbudget for a non-playoff team. So we probably coulda had Hemsky for one draft pick, but threw in a 2nd one to get half his salary paid. And then some Sens fans went around bragging about it, like haha, edm is paying half his salary, we so won.

We’ve seen how hard it is to acquire good players. The lesson is perhaps slow in sinking in. It takes great timing and fortune to beat out every other team and acquire a top line player. Sens had accumulated a lot of picks and prospects, almost too many. And we still have a lot more young players developing. Even next year, the year we may have no first rounder, we may have too many youngsters and draft picks arriving. Telescoping that bit of organizational strength to address a weakness of not enough top players and taking a risk to acquire a player like Bobby Ryan i still think is a good move for a rebuilding team in our position.

No 1st rounder this year is obviously traumatic for many who can only see team building through a singular lens, but it was a pick well spent, even if somewhat forced, and the right timing for spending it, so I’d think Sens fans need to start feeling as good about that sweet deal as they are that Edmonton is paying half Hemsky’s salary. We saw a player we wanted, and paid a price we had the luxury of affording. We need to get over the what-ifs. What if we took a risk and it doesnt work. What if the bad draft produces a good player that we coulda had in our lineup 5 yrs from now. Boohoo, what if it works. What ifs is no way to go through life.


Melnyks messaging this last summer sucked. He basically threatened the fan base that we were going to become the Ottawa Roughriders and that we should be used to it, and unless we vote out the council that wont give him a casino license it will continue. If and when that day comes, Melnyk will have an unpleasant time getting into the arena and watching games or making money. Until then, we should probably only bash him on his actions, not his threats during drunken stupors.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

I see what the OP is saying. Knowing the team is working at a bit of a disadvantage compared to the big spenders can take the shine off things. It's not unreasonable to wonder a bit if the team will spend in a few years when the guys grow a bit an are on the verge of making some noise in the league.

Melynk definitely hasn't helped with some of the statements he's made this season. He definitely needs a personal assistant to give him better speeches or prepwork before interviews. Half the time he doesn't really come across as a strong, competent, professional owner.

At the same time, the guys on the ice have to realize they are always playing for that next contract. It doesn't matter what else is happening off the ice, they are the only ones that dictate what happens on the ice. Always have to keep working.

And, you guys have to admit, it's hard not to be spoiled. We had a decade of great hockey with a ton of skill and offense. It's difficult to turn around and rebuild and live with the inconsistency this year. It definitely takes some getting used to.

 

[Qward]

Moneyball is on tv. Let's hope Melnyk doesnt watch it again.

 

[Erik Alfredsson]

This fanbase sucks. We win a game and we still complain after it about a dead topic. Who gives a **** how much money our owner has? What the **** are any of you going to do about it?

 

[TheNewEra]

So, the budget forced management to make that deal?

in a way yes, i heard after the alfie to detroit announcement we had a significant amount of STH's call in and cancel. On top of that it was around then when the budget issue was becoming full blown so that combined with alfie leaving was a huge amount of backlash towards the team and its management

 

[FlyingJ]

It's not just working on a budget, as we're hardly the only team that has ever done that, it's how Melnyk has acted overall that is the real issue. Over the last year he's been embarrassing. From his forensic investigation, to his budget resulting in the ugly departure of Alfredsson, to his battle with city hall (where admittedly he has a legitimate gripe). The guy acts like a clown. To everyone dismissing the OP, ask yourselves this: if your boss acted the way Melnyk does, how would you feel? Me, I'd be rolling my eyes so much they'd be at risk of falling out of my skull. Combine all this with Melnyk's regularly crying poor, even after the Bell TV deal, and yeah, I have no doubt it's impacting the players negatively.

Ultimately though, this is just one part of why the season has gone so wrong. But it's a big part.

 

[FlyingJ]

This fanbase sucks. We win a game and we still complain after it about a dead topic. Who gives a **** how much money our owner has? What the **** are any of you going to do about it?

Express our dissatisfaction and vent, as is every fan's right. Though, it would probably be more constructive for fans to write letters to the organization and Melnyk expressing our concern.

 

[HSF]

We traded for Ryan cause we have no one in our system like him...

Same reason we signed MacArthur

Same reason we traded for Turris

It really isn't hard to understand that a player like Ryan isn't avaliable each year and u get him when u can


Also this year is a weak draft which I am sure Murray knew before dealing

 

[HSF]

Holy Jesus, Joseph and Mary. The revisionism this fanbase has displayed all year is absolutely mindblowing. Maybe instead of getting a new owner we can get some new fans.

Before the season, Sens fans: We have a great young roster. We're poised to get better as the young guns get more experience.

After the team struggles: Melnyk is pennypinching. We needed a veteran presence. SpENd MoRE moNeieys LlOlOlOllolOLolOl

That's just the tip of the iceberg. Can't even be bothered to address the rest of the revisionist lunacy in that post.

Agreed

It will be the same when hemsky plays well ppl who didn't want him will say they did

Our fan base can be especially sometimes... Just look at all the trade spezza talk... Our best offensive weappn

 

[FlyingJ]

Agreed

It will be the same when hemsky plays well ppl who didn't want him will say they did

Our fan base can be especially sometimes... Just look at all the trade spezza talk... Our best offensive weappn

There's nothing wrong with expressing concern over trading for Hemsky, a pending UFA with a history of injuries, so late into a poor season. Same with the idea of trading Spezza, UFA in a year and a history of injuries. Moreso when you consider he'll turn 32 after next season, and that's an age when many forwards see their offensive production begin to really decline.

People on this board jump to hysterics, no question. But it's hardly one sided. There are also fans who bury their heads in the sand and dismiss anyone expressing a concern about the state of the team as a loon.

 

[BonkTastic]

This fanbase sucks. We win a game and we still complain after it about a dead topic. Who gives a **** how much money our owner has? What the **** are any of you going to do about it?

So it's not worth talking about if you can't do anything about it?

Why is anyone here, then? Why bother discussing/ complaining about the lines, or the coach, or a player's slumping production, or who the leaders on the team are, or the length of contracts, or the cap hit a player has, or the lockout, or other teams? We can't do anything about those things, either.

These boards are here for fans to discuss hockey-related things. Pretty much everything we discuss here is out of our hands as far as the degree in which we are able to do anything about it. If you want to pick-and-choose which "topics-which-we-can't-do-anything-about" are valid discussion points, and which ones we should ignore, I encourage you to provide a list.

Are we not allowed to complain about anything? Please, let me know which topics are on the "List Of Things Sens Fans Are Allowed To Complain About Without Being A Bad Fan". I don't complain about much, so when I do complain, I want to be sure that I'm complaining about "Sens-Fanbase-Approved(TM)" topics.

 

[Vesa Awesaka]

Moneyball is on tv. Let's hope Melnyk doesnt watch it again.

I just thought of our theme if we make the playoffs... "Money Puck"

 

[SuperDuper101]

The conversation I'm most interested in is how you think the players are affected by all this mess. I have no issues with being a "budget team" and I'm not suggesting our owner should spend to the cap just because fans would like it that way.

What I'm pointing out is that this past weeks moves are troubling. They're troubling to me as I'm sure they are to other teams. If we have to give away talent just to save a few hundred thousand dollars that's alarming. We gave up valuable asset in Conacher for nothing but a bit of cold hard cash. Not just a decent 3rd/4th liner, but a guy who was well liked in the room and played with his heart on his sleeve every shift.

That's not something that sits well with your players. Say what you want, it's an issue and it's worth talking about. It's time Sens fans get organized. Show our support for our team by voicing our concerns about the product we want to pay for and what we won't. If you think fans can't change anything that's idiotic. We're the money. The Sens don't play if we don't pay. It's not fair to make unreasonable demands, but it sure as hell is fair to organize and say we don't want to see more moves like casting aside good talent for a few hundred grand and we'll stop supporting the product if you don't wake up and sell the team or spend at least reasonably.

It's time for fans pissed off about how Euge is running this team to get up and get organized. It doesn't have to be a lot that you do. Even 10,000 signatures to say they won't buy tickets unless this guy gets his **** together will have an impact on how this team does business.

I agree wholeheartedly that we only made the move for Ryan because we lost a huge amount of season ticket holders the day we ****ed up with Alfie. That move happened out of desperation and the fear of having Sens fans sit and stew for 2 months with nothing to do except be pissed off.

 

[StefanW]

The part that makes me the most bitter is that I have already lived a lot of this crap....well, sort of. Years ago when I was living in Wpg I went to about half of the Jets home games. In the pre-cap era teams started to get out of control, and we had brutal things happen like a $15 MM signing bonus on an offer sheet for Keith Tkachuk to try to break our budget and force us to let him go. We had to match, but as fans we started to see the writing on the wall. The team owner started to complain publically about revenue and a brutal lease agreement with Wpg Enterprises, which ran the arena. Through all of that we were still able to assemble really good talent and stay competitive. After a while it was clear that the team was going to leave due to the rising cost of doing business in the NHL.

The reason I said "sort of" in my first sentence is that the situation with the Sens does not really feel like what I experienced back in Wpg. Melnyk runs CTC, which is a big cash cow or, at the very least, a cash savings. There is a new TV deal place that will add a substantial revenue stream next season. The CBA is very fair, with a 50/50 split between owners and players in league wide HRR. Yet despite all of these advantages the Sens are scraping to make even deadline day player additions, are finding it increasingly difficult to keep higher priced players (e.g. Alfie), and are near the bottom in team spending.

Comparing situations in different eras is always a dangerous game, but I just don't get how a team like the Sens is struggling as much as it is financially. I don't have any insider information, but based on what I have lived through before something here just doesn't feel right to me.

 

[Senscore]

We're not struggling financially. Melnyk is just being a ****.

Tv viewership, attendance, ticket prices, etc. The numbers are good. We are easily doing better than most of the league.

If this franchise is not financially viable, then over half the league isn't.

 

[alfierulestheworld]

So, the budget forced management to make that deal?

Possibly, but if the reports are true of alfie asking for $7M, then he forced it.