The Ottawa Senators are a team on the rise.
With new Ownership waiting in the wings. a move downtown on the nearish horizon and a roster loaded with talent, there are pretty clearly better days ahead in the Nation’s Capital.
In fact, when the puck drops on the 2023/2024 season, it’s very likely that expectations for this hockey team will be higher than they have been in years. Despite the hiccup with wee Alex DeBrincat, there will be endless reasons for optimism around these parts come October. Playoffs can and should be the goal for this franchise.
Yet as we learned yesterday, there will inevitably be some bumps along the way.
With Michael Andlauder rolling into town and the sale expected to be finalized this Fall, you can expect a good amount of unrest within the organization over the coming months. It’s probably safe to assume that sudden departures, unexplained firings and quiet reassignments will become a regular occurrence.
A new Owner will want his own people in key roles and for the individuals current occupying those roles, there are tough decisions that need to be made. Stick around to try and prove yourself to the new guy or move along, knowing that the writing is on the wall.
It’s important to remember though – stability is on the horizon for the Ottawa Senators.
After years of uncertainty in the Front Office and behind the scenes, better days are here. The mud slinging between the media and the old guard will soon be a thing of the past. Hopefully. The burned bridges with the local business community will be mended. Ideally. The rumours of internal tension and confusion and dysfunction will all fade into the background. Eventually.
From a fan perspective, the day-to-day drama that has defined a lot of this team’s recent history and is likely to continue for the next little while, is entirely optional at this point. Enjoy the ride though. We’ll miss this wackiness one day.
While the Ownership process and the intrigue surrounding that tiny little Detroit-loving forward has dominated most of the headlines over the last couple months, the front office changes have already begun.
On Monday, we learned that Anthony LeBlanc, the President of Business Operations, had quietly resigned from his role over the weekend. LeBlanc was brought in to help steer the franchise through a difficult period and to his credit, did a pretty good job in a role that had been somewhat chaotic before he arrived. Last season in particular, LeBlanc oversaw a period of significant growth in terms of ticket sales and his work to reconnect with the local business community will pay off big time in the long run.
As LeBlanc confirmed following his departure, he’s “leaving on good terms”.
Just a couple days later though, more change off the ice. And based on a lot of the speculation out there over the last 24-hours, this one wasn’t on “good terms”.
Trent Mann, the team’s Assistant General Manager, was apparently let go on Tuesday following a meeting with Pierre Dorion. The circumstances around the firing are murky at best and probably require some sort of explanation from the guy currently sitting in the GM’s chair. Unlikely though. The move comes months after Trent’s brother Troy was also let go, under equally strange circumstances.
What is clear about Trent Mann’s departure though is this is certainly not happening on good terms and this has been quietly building over a number of months. While the talk that he had been banned from the CTC is somewhat overstated, there was definitely a shift in his role following the firing of his brother. And earlier this week, it culminated in the decision to let him go entirely. This one is happening separate from new Ownership though, although presumably, it’s a decision Pierre Dorion had to run through the Board.
Either way, it ain’t pretty.
What we do know is Trent Mann was good at his job. He made a lot of crucial decisions that will benefit this organization for years to come and when the time comes, he will absolutely land on his feet. His track record isn’t spotless obviously and that’s what you would expect in a position like his. But he was well-liked in the organization and will find a similar job elsewhere.
Change is going to be the norm around these parts for the next few months. It started with Anthony LeBlanc and Trent Mann, each under very different circumstances, but it won’t end there. Realistically, nobody is safe. Good people will move on. Everything in the organization, top to bottom, will be under review. And that will include the current General Manager.
Either kick back and enjoy the chaos or if you prefer, focus your attention on the ice for a bit and just wait for that sweet, sweet stability that is now only months away.
Your call.
