That's actually not a bad deal except they don't have the cap space... they'd have to trade out RNH and Ryan is dead weight but COULD be a useful 2nd line winger
- AlfieisKing

I feel like this is the type of trade that gets done where we could yet again have a 3rd team being involved to get RNH and Edmonton gets to retool and so does Ottawa while said 3rd team is looking for a deep playoff run.

Also i think Ryan just is not being deployed properly and used to his full potential . With that being said any player with his potential would almost certainly have the best brought out in him from Mcjesus , The kid is good and makes everyobe around him better for it .

I also feel Ottawa really didnt learn from when they traded for Cory Conacher based on what he could do on an all star line up and Bobby Ryan was kinda the same if you look at Perry and Getzlaf they are good enough to make everyone else around them seem great.

If Ottawa could not sell out home games in the playoffs, can this team really afford to trade Karlsson? He's the best player on the team, and I don't see any feasible trade scenarios that make the sens immediately better, or even in the short run. The Phaneuf and Ryan contracts are boat anchors; and combined with penny pinching Melnyk at the helm, this team cannot afford a quality supporting cast. The Sens do have a few nice pieces in the pipeline, but to think this team could trade Karlsson and be a playoff contender, let alone cup contender again by 2019 is foolish. The Sens do not have the fan support to be able to commit to a teardown. If Eugene had
to remove seats after a trip to the ECF, what would it look like after 3 years of bottom feeding? So unless Melnyk sells the team to someone who is committed to winning regardless of the bottom line, I think the Sens future in Ottawa is a serious question mark.

If Ottawa could not sell out home games in the playoffs, can this team really afford to trade Karlsson? He's the best player on the team, and I don't see any feasible trade scenarios that make the sens immediately better, or even in the short run. The Phaneuf and Ryan contracts are boat anchors; and combined with penny pinching Melnyk at the helm, this team cannot afford a quality supporting cast. The Sens do have a few nice pieces in the pipeline, but to think this team could trade Karlsson and be a playoff contender, let alone cup contender again by 2019 is foolish. The Sens do not have the fan support to be able to commit to a teardown. If Eugene had
to remove seats after a trip to the ECF, what would it look like after 3 years of bottom feeding? So unless Melnyk sells the team to someone who is committed to winning regardless of the bottom line, I think the Sens future in Ottawa is a serious question mark.
- poopstash

Short-sighted.

There is a correlation between ticket sales and the owner.

1) Melnyk has been steadily increasing everything at the arena (parking, concessions, tickets, etc) to a point where it's gotten completely ridiculous. Ottawa is a government town with very little corporate presence. Your season ticket holders are mostly small business and families. Yet they still fill about 80-85% or higher every night. That is better than a lot of teams in the league.

2) Melnyk is widely known as a cheap bumhole- constantly mouthing off on Toronto radio, refusing to spend to the cap, and letting legends like Alfie walk. Ottawa's a small town- people are pissed. They talk with their chequebooks. It doesn't mean there isn't a ton of support in the city for this team.

I really think under new ownership ticket sales would increase. Add a new arena and it'll increase more. It isn't the market that's the problem.

Do you really think that Ottawa will get moved ahead of teams like Carolina, Florida, and Arizona? Even with "bad" attendance, the Sens still make money- they aren't being propped up by other teams.