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Thoughts with Karlsson; Sens lay an egg; Do Melnyk's arguments hold water

March 21, 2018, 10:19 AM ET [16 Comments]
Jared Crozier
Ottawa Senators Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
First off, I want to add my condolences to the outpouring of emotion directed toward Erik and Melinda Karlsson on the heartbreaking news that came out late yesterday afternoon. Those circumstances are never easy and hopefully the support around them can help them get through such a difficult time in their lives.

That news overshadows the game, but the game must go on. The Senators undoubtedly played with heavy hearts, but there certainly wasn't much fightback from the team as they pulled a no-show against Florida, whose win combined with New Jersey's loss in San Jose pulled the Panthers within 1 point of a playoff spot with 2 games in hand.

Craig Anderson allowed 4 goals on 17 shots in just over 27 minutes of action, although 3 of the goals you could argue weren't that bad, with just the Keith Yandle shot the only one that you might expect a save to be made on. Mike Condon came in and allowed a couple of softies among his 3 goal on 22 shot relief appearance, but the writing was already on the wall by the time he got in.

Ottawa didn't have much battle in their game, and the two goals wouldn't have even been considered good scoring chances. Pat Sieloff scored his first goal as a Senator in his first game with the club, on a shot that went off the back boards, off the top of the net and off the back of James Reimer. The second goal off the stick of Marian Gaborik was a long wrist shot that might have been the weakest goal on the night allowed by any of the goalies.

Only 10 games to go until this nightmare is over.


On to another topic that has been making the rounds, and that is the Market vs Melnyk debate.

I am not sure what level of unconditional support the owner expects, but the current situation that the Senators are in is a result of years of penny pinching and bad decisions made by the owner.

Look at some facts about the market -


*Ottawa is the 28th biggest NHL market in terms of population

*The Senators had the 19th highest revenue based on Forbes' Business of Hockey 2017 ranking, with $135M.

* The Senators were 16th in the NHL in terms of operating income, with $10M, according to the same Forbes article.

* With a valuation of $420M, the Senators were the 20th ranked team in terms of value.

Being the owner of a professional sports franchise brings with it certain privileges, an ego boost, a platform, but it also brings with it certain responsibilities.

This Melnyk backlash has been brewing for a while, dating back to the initial Daniel Alfredsson saga and even before. It just exploded in December when the owner cried poor and took a shot at the fan base for "lack of support" and put blame squarely on the shoulders of the fan, and threatened to move the team. Whether that was a veiled threat or simply a mind game to get the LeBreton deal done, that didn't go over well and then the Karlsson trade rumours put gas on the fire.

I am not sure what Melnyk expects, but lets face the facts that the Ottawa does pretty well in supporting its team given the size of the market, and as has been pointed out, they were among the top 10 (or just outside) in attendance and at or near 100% capacity between the 2005-06 and 2012-13 seasons, before the Alfredsson fiasco turned a few fans off and started the current downward trend.

There is a correlation that exists, and Ottawa isn't and never will be New York, Toronto, Montreal, Chicago or Philly in terms of revenue potential. If Melnyk isn't willing to spend to put quality on the ice, and I don't mean just in terms of players (the current front office consists of about 3 people), then the support won't come back to the levels that it was in the mid 2000's.

Ottawa still has an inferiority complex based on the proximity to two of the greatest, longest standing NHL franchises, and it has taken a long time to elbow its way into the conversation. This squabble has gives the impression of a Mickey Mouse organization and isn't going to allow the franchise to continue to build and get the next generation of hockey fans to break ranks with their Hab and Leaf loving parents to blindly follow the Senators.

The Alfredsson thing might have been a business decision, but I think Melnyk under-estimated
the effect that move would have and that created a sour taste in the mouths of a certain segment of the fan base that he hasn't yet done a thing to solve. Yes, money has been spent, but it hasn't been done wisely for the most part, and it has actually hampered the situation more than it has helped.

I am not sure what the solution is, because both sides are entrenched in their position, and neither side looks like it is going to blink first.

As long as Melnyk is the owner it is his team, and his right to make those decisions. You might not like them or agree with them, and that is your prerogative, and I get the frustration from the fans point of view.

Melyk had his time where the support was there through good and bad times, and Ottawa has demonstrated that they can and are willing to support an NHL franchise, but now they are showing that they no longer want to be taken for granted and need the owner to put his money where his mouth is, something that he freely admitted his is probably not willing to do. The goodwill earned when he rode in on the white horse to save the day is spent.

Melnyk can cry poor all he wants, but the numbers don't back it up until you take into account the debt ratio and the financing arrangements that he has had to make. And he can't expect the fans to finance that venture because he didn't or doesn't have the wherewithal or willingness to finance it himself. That is a decision he made and he has to deal with that should not be reflected in the support from the fan base, or lack thereof. For a market it size, the revenues it provides for operations is sufficient and it would be tough to expect much more.

Sorry, that went on a lot longer than I initially intended, but those thoughts have been swirling in my head for weeks now and finally came out. Agree or disagree, but this stalemate isn't good for anything in terms of moving the franchise forward and getting back to respectability.
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