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Random Rumblings

September 11, 2020, 1:31 PM ET [40 Comments]
Michael Stuart
Ottawa Senators Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
There have been a few random rumblings in the Ottawa Senators universe over the last handful of days. Here is a summary and my thoughts on each:

Borowiecki to Test the Market

The Athletic’s Hailey Salvian broke the news, and other outlets have since picked up on it: Mark Borowiecki and the Ottawa Senators are heading for a split. Borowiecki will test the open markets, looking to cash in on a career year with the Senators.

It’s difficult to think of a player who has done more to improve his reputation with the fan base over the course of a long-term career with the organization. Once an afterthought or worse, Borowiecki became a true fan favorite over the last couple years. His outspoken voice on issues that matter, his tenacity on the ice, his crime-fighting skills off the ice, and his mentoring of young Senators all combined to make the hometown player a defining fixture on the Ottawa blue line. Even if the on-ice results for him weren’t always great, it seemed like most fans wanted him to stick around; this was a perfectly fine proposition given that the Senators are at least a couple years away from competing anyway.

It wasn’t just fans that seemingly wanted him to stay either; Pierre Dorion was quoted earlier this year as saying that he wanted to make Borowiecki a Senator for life. That dream is obviously not going to become a reality, which leaves one wondering where things went wrong. Borowiecki’s comments in Salvian’s piece suggest that it wasn’t just a question of money, but perhaps more about the opportunity that might be available via free agency. With the Senators loading up on depth defenders, maybe Borowiecki didn’t see a clear role or spot for his services. Regardless, it’s a little bit disappointing to be faced with another situation where the organization says one thing and does another.

Coaching Pay Controversy

TSN’s Frank Seravalli reported that 17 NHL clubs have reduced salaries for hockey operations staff and coaches on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that the Ottawa Senators reduced their coaches’ salaries by 50%; this is reportedly nearly twice more than the next largest reduction in the league. This reduction apparently led to Ottawa’s coaches appealing to the NHL for intervention, with the league stepping in to reinstate full pay retroactive to July 13.

No organization – whether in hockey or not – can be faulted for feeling the impacts of this pandemic; people are taking pay cuts and work reductions across a wide variety of sectors. Still, the fact that the Senators coaches were asked to take a reduction so much more significant than their league-wide counterparts, and needed the league to intervene, will do nothing to ease fears about the Senators’ money situation.

New Jersey Leak?
The slowest jersey reveal in modern history took another turn earlier this week, with a potential leak of the new “2D” branding showing up on Twitter:

Thoughts, Sens Nation?

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As always, thanks for reading.
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