You can follow me on Twitter @ShackTS
Everyone has their breaking point. You might not know exactly what it is, but it’s there. Fans have had their patience tested by the Ottawa Senators over the past year and a half, and if not for their run to the Conference Finals in 2017, there would have been even more consternation.
One by one, the team that came within one goal of making the finals has been dismantled and is already unrecognizable. Some of the departures were warranted, but many were not, and the departures that will surely come in the next 12 days will not be warranted. Eugene Melnyk has been running the team into the ground for years now, and at first, not every fan was aware of what was going on in terms of the shoestring budget that the team was running on. But after the Erik Karlsson trade, that was the last straw for some people, signalling that their fandom was dormant until new ownership comes in.
And you know what? That’s a fair stance to take, because if you don’t see the situation getting any better until an owner who has money comes in, then why even bother getting frustrated with something that is supposed to bring you joy? Despite the outrage with the Karlsson trade, almost all Senators fans (at least the diehard ones) have stayed onboard, hoping that the future will be different. At the same time, trading Mark Stone could have just as big of an impact as trading Karlsson because it’s more inexcusable that it has gotten to this point with him. So if he is gone along with Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel, perhaps even more fans will be (temporarily) lost.
What I’m curious about though is how long would you keep watching this team as a fan?
The product on the ice has been pretty abysmal this season, although they have at least had some entertaining games due to their slightly above average offense and fantastic performances from their top players. If all three of Stone, Duchene, and Dzingel get traded, will you keep watching games past the trade deadline? And will you still follow the team as a fan?
Considering where the organization sits right now in relation to Melnyk, it’s difficult to expect anything different in the future, despite what he says about spending “close to the cap” from 2021-2025. Who’s to say that Thomas Chabot and Brady Tkachuk won’t be traded at the age of 26 because they become too expensive? And that’s exactly why people won’t be watching the team pretty soon. However, fans will generally support the team over their favourite players, and the amount of “we don’t need Karlsson” comments I have seen since September proves that point.
My favourite players to watch in 2016-17 were Erik Karlsson, Mark Stone, and Kyle Turris, and all three of them will probably be gone in less than two weeks, and I doubt I am alone there. I’m honestly just apathetic at this point and anything bad that happens has to be expected, plus there will be no real enthusiasm until Melnyk is actually gone. I choose to follow the team because I enjoy writing about hockey and it would be impossible for me to just quit altogether, but it doesn’t mean I’m having fun following a team that I have rooted for since I was five.
There will definitely be tons of fans who still keep watching after the trade deadline. But what about if some of their other better known veteran players like Craig Anderson, Bobby Ryan, Zack Smith, Mark Borowiecki, and Mikkel Boedker get traded? I doubt people would be too sad, but that would still leave big holes on the roster. What about if younger role players like Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Chris Tierney, and Dylan DeMelo get traded? Again, fans could stomach it in the name of a rebuild.
But would fans tolerate pieces of the future core getting traded for futures such as Thomas Chabot, Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson, Colin White, and Rudolfs Balcers? It would be incredibly strange to see them get traded, but you just
know that there would be some people out there trying to justify them being moved as necessary for the rebuild. Since they are important pieces for the next great Senators team though, would you still watch this season or next season if none of those five (or more including Logan Brown, Filip Gustavsson, etc.) were there anymore? Or would you call it quits on a Senators team that would be embarrassing themselves more than they already have?
What this insane and unrealistic hypothetical is trying to get at is...at what point is it not worth it to watch your favourite team, and at what point is it not worth it to prioritize “I’ll be a Sens fan until I die” over your sanity? Being faithful to your team is great, and I think it’s awesome when fans are willing to stick through the tough times knowing that it will feel that much sweeter when there are better things to talk about. However, I’m genuinely curious to know how long Ottawa fans would be willing to watch an entire roster filled with literal AHL players because at some point you have to say enough is enough.
Furthermore, would you keep watching/following the team if God forbid the team was relocated to another city? Considering that I don’t live in Ottawa, I think I might, just because I don’t have that same attachment to the city, but I can understand why people from Ottawa would not. So what is your breaking point: was it when Karlsson was traded, will it be at the trade deadline, will it be if the next wave of players gets nickel and dimed, will it be if they ever get relocated, or is it never? We all react differently. I gave up on the team a while ago, but like I said, I will still follow them because of how ingrained hockey is in my life.
I think a lot of people will come back oncea new owner comes in, because even though they might be bad at that time, there will at least be hope that things will be different. Hope that players who should be career Senators
will be career Senators. But as of now, I don’t blame anyone for quitting on the team, especially with the product being terrible.
Ottawa Senators Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»