Why should he care?
The author of this article is just overloaded with self-importance for starters.
Being a season ticket holder doesn't come with the right to demand an owner runs his/her business according to your perspectives or beliefs.
He paid for a service, then attempted to influence an organization's decision making by writing a letter that obviously was put in round file "I" (for ignore).
So he pouted and didn't renew, at the end of the day who cares really.
However this individual has a forum to air his opinions, the Globe and Mail.
So he decides to write an article sharing all the reasons he believes the Senators are on a similar slide into oblivion that the Maple Leafs appear to be on.
Yet the article is bereft of fact, nothing but an opinion piece written by a self absorbed individual who had little intention of being fair, constructive or honest IMO.
So it leaves me wondering why anyone would care what this guy wrote, let alone Melnyk.
Now if he had utilized facts to support his assertions, it might have started with every NHL teams go through cycles, good NHL teams minimize the duration of the lows by good drafting and development (see Detroit).
Yet he decides linking the Maple Leafs disaster in some convoluted way to the situation in Ottawa supports his point of view.
However the two franchises aren't at all similar in terms of where each is at in the typical cycle of NHL teams.
He chooses to ignore the downward slide (his words) started under Bryden's watch, not Melnyk's.
The down cycle was set in motion by Bryden and Muckler, they just weren't around when it became obvious to everyone.
It was under Bryden's tenure that poor drafting, lack of player development, contract squabbles and less than stellar asset management set in motion the conditions for the downward trend in performance.
One of the key events was the sign and trade of Hossa, a move made solely for financial concerns.
The fallout from that deal was Chara's displeasure with the treatment of his close friend and subsequently decided to sign elsewhere.
When anyone takes an unbiased view at what transpired over those years of Muckler's time as GM, it isn't hard to see why Melnyk and Murray faced an inevitable rebuild.
While the Senators were a playoff team from 1996/97 through 2007/08, with a Cup final appearance in 2006/07 (big surprise IMO), the next three years were clear evidence that the core wasn't good enough and the organization had little to no depth.
Anyone blaming Melnyk or Murray for this is not accepting the reality of the situation IMO.
Since Murray's arrival as GM, the Sens have made the playoffs 4 of 7 years, while almost completely rebuilding the franchise at both the developmental and NHL levels.
The oft criticized "budget" is based on a lack of understanding or outright denial it is the result of the strategy and not the cause.
The Senators decided to rebuild through youth, not UFAs, nor jumping into the trade market in hopes of striking gold with another team's castoffs (sound familiar TML fans).
The end result of this approach is obviously a lower payroll initially, but that changes as the youth prove they belong.
All the critics of the "budget" will get a first hand glimpse of the "new budget" once the new contracts for Anderson, Lehner, Methot, Hoffman, Zibanejad, Stone, Ryan, MacArthur and Pageau are totaled up this summer.
So if this piece of opinionated nonsense was supposed to reveal some relevant information, it failed.
It clearly appears to me to be the musings of some egotistical moron that is upset the Senators organization didn't roll over and beg because he threatened to cancel his STs, nothing more.
Fact is anyone that jumps on these boards can read this kind of stuff daily.
So why would Melnyk respond when no response is necessary.