News Article: Melnyk: "This is the team, with what we have right now, I believe can win a Stanley Cup already"

[DJB]

GARRIOCH: Eugene Melnyk is in it to win it and confident Senators can capture a Stanley Cup | Ottawa Sun

Buckle up. Its long with a ton of "interesting" quotes from Melnyk.

Click to read more...

 

[Ouroboros]

Looks like insane Melnyk bravado is back on the menu, boys.

 

[OmniSens]

Melnyk is in mid-season form!

 

[DrEasy]

It's the same brand of delusional positive thinking that has gotten others far too...

 

[Senscore]

I thought he wasn't supposed to be drinking.

 

[Agent Zub]

if we dont win in two years and the players start asking for money they are gonna blow it up again

 

[Sens]

Melnyk said the organization had taken a lot of “flak” for not being more open publicly but had no choice. He and Dorion didn’t want to devalue the assets they were about to move, which meant their only option was to work diligently to get a strong return, and they did.

“Sometimes you just can’t tell the true story. You can’t tell people, ‘Hey, I’m about to move my top six guys,'” Melnyk added. “You know what happens: You won’t be able to do deals. We got in-bound calls that had read a story we were rebuilding and they wondered if maybe Duchene was available.

“We were able to pull this off very gingerly. We had to be very careful in the way we did it because we were still playing. You’ve got these guys that you’re trying to move, and they know you’re trying to move them, and there was so much going on you had to balance between telling your fans, ‘This is what I’m doing,’ and actually executing it and taking all the heat we got from fans and the sports media.

“We just had to put our chin up, take all the crap and, in the end, just hope that you’re right. If you’re right you’re the king of the day, and if you’re wrong you’re the bum of the day.”
—-

Well played

 

[Sens]

if we dont win in two years and the players start asking for money they are gonna blow it up again

“We’ll be a team that’s active at the trade deadline and not as sellers, but as buyers, just like we used to be. If you look at my track record on spending on players, we were always up there. We were never at the top, but we were always right there or around the centre. Now, we’re going to stay somewhere in the centre, depending on where it’s at. Our budgets are always somewhere around $70 million, which is in the centre.

“I don’t make any money out of this team. I just want to break even.

 

[TheDebater]

“We have turned the corner. We just now need to execute on what we have,” Melnyk said last week from his home in Toronto. “This is the team, with what we have right now, I believe can win a Stanley Cup already, and that’s without adding some veterans, which we plan to do."

Why would he say that...no pressure boys.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

Yes

 

[Sensinitis]

Let’s goooo

 

[Samsquanch]

Looks like insane Melnyk bravado is back on the menu, boys.

Honestly I dont even mind Melnyk when hes acting like this. Hes an overzealous fan at heart, and Im ok with that side of him.

It's when hes talking doom and gloom or anything related to our financial situation that we need to get concerned.

But I think he truly believes his own BS, so to me this kind of chest beating means that hes ready to spend money and see his team compete again. The Murray and Dadanov contracts are clear evidence that hes ready to put his money where his mouth is. And that we should not worry about losing our good young players (or else that money would have been saved if we were really that strapped for cash - amidst a pandemic when being cheap could be overlooked by some).

And I dont blame him anymore for choosing to not sign a group of players in their late 20's that he was lukewarm on (after the eventual mega collapse and locker room chaos that was an embarrassment to the team) to $200m+ worth of guaranteed contracts.

Having the full power of hindsight, I'm not sad about where this team is today, and what it could have been had they stayed the course (lets say Zibby, Stone, Karlsson, Turris, Dzingle, Lehner as the core group).

It's not a bad looking team at all. But I still think it ultimately falls flat, and we end up with a lot more misery than hope over that decade we have them for that sees them into their mid 30s. We've already seen the decline of half of them basically, some by drastic amounts (Turris...yikes)...

 

[Ser Grogu]

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

The media has to stop giving him any airtime/print.

 

[Tuna99]

Melnyk said the organization had taken a lot of “flak” for not being more open publicly but had no choice. He and Dorion didn’t want to devalue the assets they were about to move, which meant their only option was to work diligently to get a strong return, and they did.

“Sometimes you just can’t tell the true story. You can’t tell people, ‘Hey, I’m about to move my top six guys,'” Melnyk added. “You know what happens: You won’t be able to do deals. We got in-bound calls that had read a story we were rebuilding and they wondered if maybe Duchene was available.

“We were able to pull this off very gingerly. We had to be very careful in the way we did it because we were still playing. You’ve got these guys that you’re trying to move, and they know you’re trying to move them, and there was so much going on you had to balance between telling your fans, ‘This is what I’m doing,’ and actually executing it and taking all the heat we got from fans and the sports media.

“We just had to put our chin up, take all the crap and, in the end, just hope that you’re right. If you’re right you’re the king of the day, and if you’re wrong you’re the bum of the day.”
—-

Well played

You still can’t tell the true story AFTER the player were traded because we hate the media

and the ‘ottawa has a lack of confidence’ said by a guy who lives on a beach and lied to everyone he’s ever met. There is no more incorrect, lazy, or foreign bread thought that Ottawa lacks confidence. People in this city don’t kiss your ass because this isn’t a money town, it’s a town we’re real power is yielded and we aren’t impressed by big cars or unpaid plane bills, we are impressed with bronze statues of people who have had positive impacts on the city and the country, The city showed up for Barack Obama, we don’t cheer on horsemen.

 

[Agent Zub]

Honestly I dont even mind Melnyk when hes acting like this. Hes an overzealous fan at heart, and Im ok with that side of him.

It's when hes talking doom and gloom or anything related to our financial situation that we need to get concerned.

But I think he truly believes his own BS, so to me this kind of chest beating means that hes ready to spend money and see his team compete again. The Murray and Dadanov contracts are clear evidence that hes ready to put his money where his mouth is. And that we should not worry about losing our good young players (or else that money would have been saved if we were really that strapped for cash - amidst a pandemic when being cheap could be overlooked by some).

And I dont blame him anymore for choosing to not sign a group of players in their late 20's that he was lukewarm on (after the eventual mega collapse and locker room chaos that was an embarrassment to the team) to $200m+ worth of guaranteed contracts.

Having the full power of hindsight, I'm not sad about where this team is today, and what it could have been had they stayed the course (lets say Zibby, Stone, Karlsson, Turris, Dzingle, Lehner as the core group).

It's not a bad looking team at all. But I still think it ultimately falls flat, and we end up with a lot more misery than hope over that decade we have them for that sees them into their mid 30s. We've already seen the decline of half of them basically, some by drastic amounts (Turris...yikes)...

you aren't even including the players we would have drafted in that core though, as well as guys like Batherson and Formenton etc.

The biggest mistake im seeing in this rebuild is the lack of quality veterans on this roster.

Karlsson and Stone as the veterans and mentors to a young tough two way team filled with depth? that would have been deadly, Stanley cup worthy even.

And i didnt even include Zibanejad. Imagine all three? We were seriously robbed of an incredible team.

 

[Samsquanch]

you aren't even including the players we would have drafted in that core though, as well as guys like Batherson and Formenton etc.

The biggest mistake im seeing in this rebuild is the lack of quality veterans on this roster.

Karlsson and Stone as the veterans and mentors to a young tough two way team filled with depth? that would have been deadly, Stanley cup worthy even.

How about the reality that Karlsson and Stone didnt actually want to be here anymore? Stone wanted to win now, and had no interest in leading a young rebuilding team. And Karlsson and the Sens were destined to part ways - the writing was on the wall for all to see for a long time. And that locker room that he was the leader had clearly been completely fractured and divided by the time he was gone. Not all his fault, but it felt like everyone needed a change.

But lets pretend they did want to stay and the choice was really ours. And still I feel like a team based around Chabot. Tkachuk, Stuetzle, Sanderson, Brannstrom, (vets like Murray and Dadanov) ect ect is much better set up for success over the next 5-10 years versus your scenario.

Thats because you cant pay Karlsson 11-12m per + Stone 10-11m per AND pay Chabot and Tkachuk and the rest what they are worth after those ELCs expire. The big dollars go to the young star RFAs in todays NHL, and this team isnt rich enough to hover right up against the cap for 8 year stretches of time, and cant buy our way out of cap problems with cash or leverage either. Especially in this new Covid era of uncertainty that in turn has cooled off the market significantly for UFAs and those huge long term contracts.

Imo its almost certain that neither Karlsson or Stone play to the level they are getting paid for the whole duration of their contracts by todays standards, and are probably closer to being worth 7-8m per year with that kind of term and the state of the NHL cap at the moment.

Karlssons play in particular is already a clear notch behind his pay grade - one that suggests that he should be a Norris contender on most occasions. I would take Stuetzle by himself in a 1 for 1 trade every day of the week for EK and his contract. Not even sure I would take EK for free tbh - hes a hell of a player still but that cap hit and term is just scary bad.

 

[Agent Zub]

How about the reality that Karlsson and Stone didnt actually want to be here anymore? Stone wanted to win now, and had no interest in leading a young rebuilding team. And Karlsson and the Sens were destined to part ways - the writing was on the wall for all to see for a long time. And that locker room that he was the leader had clearly been completely fractured and divided by the time he was gone. Not all his fault, but it felt like everyone needed a change.

But lets pretend they did want to stay and the choice was really ours. And still I feel like a team based around Chabot. Tkachuk, Stuetzle, Sanderson, Brannstrom, (vets like Murray and Dadanov) ect ect is much better set up for success over the next 5-10 years versus your scenario.

Thats because you cant pay Karlsson 11-12m per + Stone 10-11m per AND pay Chabot and Tkachuk and the rest what they are worth after those ELCs expire. The big dollars go to the young star RFAs in todays NHL, and this team isnt rich enough to hover right up against the cap for 8 year stretches of time, and cant buy our way out of cap problems with cash or leverage either. Especially in this new Covid era of uncertainty that in turn has cooled off the market significantly for UFAs and those huge long term contracts.

Imo its almost certain that neither Karlsson or Stone play to the level they are getting paid for the whole duration of their contracts by todays standards, and are probably closer to being worth 7-8m per year with that kind of term and the state of the NHL cap at the moment.

Karlssons play in particular is already a clear notch behind his pay grade - one that suggests that he should be a Norris contender on most occasions. I would take Stuetzle by himself in a 1 for 1 trade every day of the week for EK and his contract. Not even sure I would take EK for free tbh - hes a hell of a player still but that cap hit and term is just scary bad.

If you sign Karlsson (who clearly wanted to retire in Ottawa) it would signify to Stone that you were serious.

You sign both to a fair contract but tell them that we need a rebuild and will be stripping the team down to barebones. I don't think it would be a hard sell because it would make sense, and these two clearly wanted to bring the Ottawa Senators their first cup.

Get two top 5-ish picks as well as tons of other draft capital by selling off Duchene and the rest.

Karlsson, Stone, Chabot Tkachuk, two top 5 picks.

Concentrate the money on these guys. This would also create an internal cap because if Stone is making 9 mill Brady is gonna blush asking for 8.

Basically what the LA Kings and Colorado Avalanche did.

And Karlsson didn't die right after he left Ottawa. His first year in SJ he was actually quite dominant. There was a point he looked like the best player in the game again.I believe it was the best advanced stats season of his career. The injury history is concerning but they were all more isolated unlucky injuries rather than Karlsson not being durable imo. I mean imagine if we traded Daniel Alfredsson all those times? I think he bounces back, dudes only 30. Player of his quality are productive until the very end.

Anyway this is all theory and it probably still wouldn't have worked because Melnyk and Dorion are kind of shitty people and I think both Karlsson and Stone got fed up with it much like Alfredsson.

 

[Alfie11]

“We’ll be a team that’s active at the trade deadline and not as sellers, but as buyers, just like we used to be. If you look at my track record on spending on players, we were always up there. We were never at the top, but we were always right there or around the centre. Now, we’re going to stay somewhere in the centre, depending on where it’s at. Our budgets are always somewhere around $70 million, which is in the centre.

“I don’t make any money out of this team. I just want to break even.

Melnyk coming through with his FYOUS.

I also hope the fans that are super upset about the Zibanejad/Brassard trade are prepping themselves for another version of that trade in the future.

 

[Tnuoc Alucard]

Eugene Melnyk's message to the fans as the Ottawa Senators celebrate their 30th birthday | Ottawa Sun

 

[Sweatred]

If you sign Karlsson (who clearly wanted to retire in Ottawa) it would signify to Stone that you were serious.

You sign both to a fair contract but tell them that we need a rebuild and will be stripping the team down to barebones. I don't think it would be a hard sell because it would make sense, and these two clearly wanted to bring the Ottawa Senators their first cup.

Get two top 5-ish picks as well as tons of other draft capital by selling off Duchene and the rest.

Karlsson, Stone, Chabot Tkachuk, two top 5 picks.

Concentrate the money on these guys. This would also create an internal cap because if Stone is making 9 mill Brady is gonna blush asking for 8.

Basically what the LA Kings and Colorado Avalanche did.

And Karlsson didn't die right after he left Ottawa. His first year in SJ he was actually quite dominant. There was a point he looked like the best player in the game again.I believe it was the best advanced stats season of his career. The injury history is concerning but they were all more isolated unlucky injuries rather than Karlsson not being durable imo. I mean imagine if we traded Daniel Alfredsson all those times? I think he bounces back, dudes only 30. Player of his quality are productive until the very end.

Anyway this is all theory and it probably still wouldn't have worked because Melnyk and Dorion are kind of shitty people and I think both Karlsson and Stone got fed up with it much like Alfredsson.

I’d prefer CT and his contract over EK and his ...

 

[Sweatred]

Melnyk coming through with his FYOUS.

I also hope the fans that are super upset about the Zibanejad/Brassard trade are prepping themselves for another version of that trade in the future.

Why ? There has been several great deals in a row ... The Sens hit on EK, MD, RD, And likely on JPG and MS. No reason to assume the worst.

The Brassard deal did improve the team at the time - lots of teams give up future pieces to try to win now. It wasn’t a great trade and in retrospect we would have been much better to invest in Zibby, same goes for Lehner for White.

 

[BatherSeason]

Eugene Melnyk's message to the fans as the Ottawa Senators celebrate their 30th birthday | Ottawa Sun

This guy just doesn't get it. No hockey fan needs to hear this much from the owner of their team. Is there any other owner in the league that talks this much?

Go away Melnyk. Focus on hiring Dorion some help and stay out of the media.

 

[CornerStone61]

Why ? There has been several great deals in a row ... The Sens hit on EK, MD, RD, And likely on JPG and MS. No reason to assume the worst.

The Brassard deal did improve the team at the time - lots of teams give up future pieces to try to win now. It wasn’t a great trade and in retrospect we would have been much better to invest in Zibby, same goes for Lehner for White.

Agreed on the Zibby trade, however Lehner had some serious mental issues that weren't addressed until after being traded, so I have reservations about him becoming what he is now if he were to stay here.

 

[Sweatred]

Agreed on the Zibby trade, however Lehner had some serious mental issues that weren't addressed until after being traded, so I have reservations about him becoming what he is now if he were to stay here.

Agree... there will always be players that get moved and improve beyond their projection over time. Even Zibby was projecting to have issues at the $6 AAV he was tracking to demand. Money was an issue for EM and his short stack. Zibby didn’t look like the hand that EM wanted to go all in on. We had Turris, EK, Stone, MH were playing well, I think Brown was coming ...

The Rangers have x2 our financial resources ... it’s an easy gamble for NYR to make.
We also still have GUS which could turn out to be a decent piece.