FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-In the middle of last night’s game, the Ottawa Senators organization felt it was the right time to release a statement on the future of the franchise. Because you know, that’s how professional sports teams do things. Anyway, Eugene Melnyk spoke at a private event for some of the team’s big sponsors on Tuesday in Toronto and during his address, pledged to spend to close to the salary cap from 2021 to 2025. From anyone else, such a statement might make sense but it’s hard not to chuckle when it comes from Melnyk. It certainly seems as though the “spend when the time is right” time-frame is being kicked down the road a little bit.
-If Eugene Melnyk carried any credibility with the fan base, the comments that were leaked during last night’s game probably wouldn’t cause so much blow-back. It makes sense that during a rebuild, you would have a general sense of when you planned to make a push. Other teams that have gone through a rebuilding process have had similar plans in place. The issue is, fans are rightly skeptical about the Owner’s words. And it’s not just fans that are skeptical either. It was pretty clear in listening to the Sportsnet panel last night that there is a lot skepticism about the plan Melnyk is laying out here.
-Another thing that was sort of frustrating about the comments is this idea that they will just sort flick a switch starting in 2021 and suddenly become competitive over night. While spending to the cap is one thing, to do this rebuild right, there has to be some investment along the way. There has to be a commitment, a financial one not just words, to prioritizing scouting and player development. That requires resources not just a shift in organizational mindset. There has to be money there to bring in top talent to lead the rebuild. General Managers, Coaches, a Front Office of some kind. All those things are important. And lastly, there has to be a willingness to keep good players along the way. For this rebuild to work, they need to pay guys like Mark Stone and Matt Duchene and sell them on a future in Ottawa. Rebuilding a hockey team ain’t cheap, Eugene.
-Imagine you’re Mark Stone and Matt Duchene and you have to make this career-defining decision. And then imagine this Owner, who has helped usher other star players out the door for financial reasons, is telling you that he’s prepared to spend. Just not for a couple more years. Imagine you’re an athlete in your prime, approaching a once-in-a-career shot at unrestricted free agency and this is part of the pitch being made by your current organization. How would you react? Would that be enough of a guarantee to keep you around? In the words of Daniel Alfredsson, probably not. If this mid-game release with agents for both players in attendance was part of a last ditch effort to keep these two in the fold, then things are looking pretty grim. If this is supposed to prepare the fan base for pain at the trade deadline, well then I think it’s safe to say people aren’t buying it. And I doubt the sponsors he was speaking to on Tuesday are either.
-The Senators lost 5-4 last night. Hell of an effort but they came up just short. They play again tonight.
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