Rumor: Trade Rumors/Proposals/Free Agents 2017-2018 | Part III

[dumbdick]

Man, do you guys spend an extraordinary amount of time threatening not to support this team. Just stop supporting them already and get over with it.

I have a theory that most of the boycotters/billboarders are streamers anyway.

 

[Sensung]

I have a theory that most of the boycotters/billboarders are streamers anyway.

Which is why the season ticket base is currently getting flushed down the toilet, right?

 

[dumbdick]

Which is why the season ticket base is currently getting flushed down the toilet, right?

Or that just fits your narrative. Otherwise, how do you explain the bad playoff attendance two years ago? Or the tarping of seats? Nobody was talking boycott back then...

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

I have a theory that most of the boycotters/billboarders are streamers anyway.

Interesting theory. Looks like we’re gonna find out soon enough.

 

[Sensung]

Or that just fits your narrative. Otherwise, how do you explain the bad playoff attendance two years ago? Or the tarping of seats? Nobody was talking boycott back then...

Melnyk's demise started with screwing over Alfie.

 

[dumbdick]

There's a case to be made that most of this stuff started as a response to bad attendance, not as a cause of bad attendance. No one was ranting about Melnyk as a reason for not showing up in the playoffs.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

I have a theory that most of the boycotters/billboarders are streamers anyway.

Every single Sens fan I know IRL is super down on the team.

If the team sucks, attendance is going to legit be atrocious. We need something positive to happen on top of the team playing well.

 

[TkachukNorris79]

Melnyk's demise started with screwing over Alfie.

This is it exactly. Look at the sens attendance numbers over the past 10 years. It's crazy. All started going downhill right after the Alfie thing.

Ottawa Senators [NHL, 1992-2018] yearly attendance at hockeydb.com

 

[Ray Kinsella]

There's a case to be made that most of this stuff started as a response to bad attendance, not as a cause of bad attendance. No one was ranting about Melnyk as a reason for not showing up in the playoffs.

Personally, I feel it could be any number of reasons. It’s not like the place was half empty. Several other teams have experienced the very same during the same highlight period in the post season. What I don’t understand is why those are not talked about from the media, yet it’s a sacrilege to have happened in Ottawa.

 

[Sensung]

Personally, I feel it could be any number of reasons. It’s not like the place was half empty. Several other teams have experienced the very same during the same highlight period in the post season. What I don’t understand is why those are not talked about from the media, yet it’s a sacrilege to have happened in Ottawa.

Members of the hockey media are perfectly unbiased and would never shit on the Sens to pander to the two biggest fanbases in the NHL...or so I've been told.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

This is it exactly. Look at the sens attendance numbers over the past 10 years. It's crazy. All started going downhill right after the Alfie thing.

Ottawa Senators [NHL, 1992-2018] yearly attendance at hockeydb.com

Alfie left because he didn't think he could win here. The next year Spezza does the exact same.

Two the franchises' best players ever bailed in back-to-back years in dramatic fashion. Attendance followed.

This is the single best and strongest argument people who claim the fanbase is fine. I am not sure I fully agree with the position but this is a stat that is very hard to ignore.

 

[Micklebot]

Alfie left because he didn't think he could win here. The next year Spezza does the exact same.

If that were true, he'd probably have picked a better team to go to than Detroit. Like Boston who was coming off finishing 5th in the league, and went to the finals, who also happened to be bidding for his services.

He didn't leave to chase a cup. That narrative simply doesn't make any sense when considering the facts.

 

[Flamingo]

Alfie liked Detroit’s family-friendliness. The practice facility has a family lounge that overlooks the ice. That, plus he might have been miffed over money.

 

[Micklebot]

Alfie liked Detroit’s family-friendliness. The practice facility has a family lounge that overlooks the ice. That, plus he might have been miffed over money.

But did the lounge have a nice sofa, and video games for the kids? Did they have an onsite daycare facility? These are the questions that could tip things in their favour.

 

[JungleBeat]

Melnyk and Murray ran Alfredsson out of Ottawa. What a shame.

 

[Ice-Tray]

Alfie had a fit and left. He and Murray were very close and still were when he passed, regardless of what went down. EM as usual made things awkward before throwing the 'blank cheque' out there, and by then it was too late.

Alfie also wanted a chance to win and had friends on the Wings who put a bug in his ear all summer about it.

It was a perfect storm to leave, and a shame for everyone involved from a legacy stand point. Anyways, Alfie is an Ottawa resident and will eventually be involved with the Sens again

 

[Flamingo]

But did the lounge have a nice sofa, and video games for the kids? Did they have an onsite daycare facility? These are the questions that could tip things in their favour.

Yes to all of that. Have you been there? It’s got separate playroom, and a big salon-style lounge overlooking the practice rink, and it’s all right underneath the Little Caesars arena.

 

[topshelf15]

Melnyk and Murray ran Alfredsson out of Ottawa. What a shame.

BM didnt run Alfie out of town,come on man

 

[DJB]

Melnyk tried to lowball Alfie that's why he left

 

[danielpalfredsson]

It's all been very well documented.

Alfredsson's account of the situation is that he signed a deal with a "fake" year on the end where his salary was 1M per season. This fake year was added to lower his overall cap hit to help Ottawa win. This was back when Ottawa spent money, and before the 2012 CBA changes.

When Alfredsson realized he was feeling good enough to play that year, he approached management about negotiating an extension that would make him whole if he were to play through the upcoming season at his deflated salary. Alfredssson claims both sides agreed to do something, but nothing every got done. This was prior to the 12-13 season that he was asking about this extension.

Ultimately when the 2013 season concluded, he asked for one year at 7M per season or two years at 6M per season. The Sens offered 4.5M and were unwilling to compensate Alfredsson for playing at 1M per despite supposedly previously agreeing to do so.

At the time this happened, the Senators were a budget team. So they had the cap space to do this. The issue was that Bryan Murray felt if he were to pay Alfredsson, he would not have the money available to make the Bobby Ryan trade and acquire a superstar he felt was needed to build on what the Sens had accomplished thus far with their re-tool. There was a "blank cheque" offered to Alfredsson once he had both feet out the door, but it's unclear if that blank cheque was Melnyk raising the budget to accommodate Alfredsson, or Murray abandoning plans to make further additions in order to accommodate Alfredsson without the budget rising. I have nothing to back up the following, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least bit if the blank cheque was a PR move. The NHL isn't all that big, Murray was a veteran GM with loads of connections, he had to know what was going down. I don't think they ever expected Alfredsson to call them back and say "oh man you are offering me the money now at the last minute, okay I'll sign"

Murray denied these allegations made by Alfredsson. Murray said that he had no reason to lie himself. It's entirely possible that things were lost in translation between both parties when it came to any commitments to make Alfredsson whole, I don't know, I wasn't there. But it's pretty easy to know the basic principal of NHL contracts and how cap circumvention works, and I can't really think of an alternative reason about why that 1M per season year would be tacked on the end of Alfredssson's contract. Murray's explanation was that Alfredsson wanted his money upfront, but it doesn't really pass the smell test to me. If the Senators wanted Alfredsson for three years, why would they sign him to a contract that would give him such great incentive to retire in year 3?

 

[FolignoQuantumLeap]

BM didnt run Alfie out of town,come on man

The only reason Alfie came back was Murray. Those two had mad mutual respect. There's absolutely no coincidence Alfie was out the door once Bryan passed. Alfredsson hates Melnyk as much as the rest of us.

 

[TheBradyBunch]

Melnyk and Murray ran Alfredsson out of Ottawa. What a shame.

[MOD] Anyone who knows Alfie (not saying that I do...) knows how much respect Alfredsson has for Murray and how positive their relationship was.

 

[face slapper]

As someone who has been told numerous times and will also admit that I can be a paranoid ahole who automatically thinks the worst about most people, I can't help but get a bit of a feeling that the way Melnyk has been acting towards the team, fans and city,is him being pissy, petty, angry, whatever you want to call it, over the whole failed casino thing, I am more than likely wrong, and freely admit it..... but just have a bit of a nagging feeling thats where a bit/some/alot of his behavior is coming from

 

[JungleBeat]

[MOD]Anyone who knows Alfie (not saying that I do...) knows how much respect Alfredsson has for Murray and how positive their relationship was.

Doesn’t change the fact Murray and Alfredsson negotiated him getting paid for the pay cut he took for the team. Murray was the GM of that debacle and should take responsibility along with Melnyk.

 

[JungleBeat]

The only reason Alfie came back was Murray. Those two had mad mutual respect. There's absolutely no coincidence Alfie was out the door once Bryan passed. Alfredsson hates Melnyk as much as the rest of us.

Afredsson left his position in hockey operations before Murray passed away.