News Article: Senators won’t be competitive until they prioritize talent over finances

[Stylizer1]

It would be so awesome if opening night was empty.

 

[branch]

That article represents your typical Toronto media bias towards Ottawa. We helped their competition and its easy click bait for chest pumping Toronto fans.

Teams sell the names of their buildings for $1 million, paste ads above toilets for $10000’s ... it should be easy to understand why a team would take a meaningless contract for an easy $2 million. I don’t think a genius marketer in Ottawa could easily generate that revenue.

The larger issue of EM not being able to field a competitive roster is a separate issue.

It looks like you are totally missing the point.

 

[FormentonTheFuture]

That article represents your typical Toronto media bias towards Ottawa. We helped their competition and its easy click bait for chest pumping Toronto fans.

Teams sell the names of their buildings for $1 million, paste ads above toilets for $10000’s ... it should be easy to understand why a team would take a meaningless contract for an easy $2 million. I don’t think a genius marketer in Ottawa could easily generate that revenue.

The larger issue of EM not being able to field a competitive roster is a separate issue.

I generally agree with Toronto bias but Scanlan is not from Toronto lol

 

[Gil Gunderson]

If the CBA does something about these LTIR contracts, that might be something that pressures Melntk to sell. He wants to LTIR his way to the cap for FYOUS.

 

[harrisb]

A bigger question is when all these LTIR contracts expire next year how are we even going to reach the floor from a pure cap perspective (money aside)?

Even if we give generous raises to all our RFA’s we’ll have to either also sign some of our UFA’s to hefty extensions or go FA shopping. We can’t reach the floor as we’re currently structured unless we take on a ton or LTIR’s or anchor contracts.

Another issue is that doing the above will block roster spots for kids that are ready for the show, this angering them and making future negotiations more difficult.

We’ll basically have almost no leverage when it comes to negotiating contracts or trades...

 

[BatherSeason]

That article represents your typical Toronto media bias towards Ottawa.

Except that Berkshire is from Montreal.

 

[BatherSeason]

I generally agree with Toronto bias but Scanlan is not from Toronto lol

He is talking about the Berkshire hit on the Fan 590. Berkshire is also not from Toronto.

 

[FormentonTheFuture]

He is talking about the Berkshire hit on the Fan 590. Berkshire is also not from Toronto.

My bad, I didn't see your quoted post.

 

[NorthCoast]

A bigger question is when all these LTIR contracts expire next year how are we even going to reach the floor from a pure cap perspective (money aside)?

Even if we give generous raises to all our RFA’s we’ll have to either also sign some of our UFA’s to hefty extensions or go FA shopping. We can’t reach the floor as we’re currently structured unless we take on a ton or LTIR’s or anchor contracts.

Another issue is that doing the above will block roster spots for kids that are ready for the show, this angering them and making future negotiations more difficult.

We’ll basically have almost no leverage when it comes to negotiating contracts or trades...

Sure, it seems like star players have almost all the leverage now because if a team won't give them the deal they want they'll wait for an offer sheet or wait to walk as UFA.

That's why as a team that cannot match all offers, we have set our selves up to be the most attractive place for a young player to want to resign, by going into a 5 year rebuild that starts with multiple years of misery, loading the team up with TDL rentals that only care about stealing ice time from rookies to showcase themselves, and trashing every ex-star player to have been with the team recently.

 

[BonkTastic]

A bigger question is when all these LTIR contracts expire next year how are we even going to reach the floor from a pure cap perspective (money aside)?

Probably by acquiring more LTIR contracts.

 

[Joeyjoejoe]

 

[Senscore]

Probably by acquiring more LTIR contracts.

It would be nice to have Hossa back.

 

[RaMai]

Probably by acquiring more LTIR contracts.

With the help of throw in picks as displayed since PD was handed the reigns.

 

[TeamRenzo]

If that were the case they would be taking real assets back instead of dumping money. If you cant see why this is the case then you're out of reach. I truly am mind blown about the sens board on HF right now and how many people cant see the correlation. Media outlets are explaining it to you as plain as day but people still cant wrap their heads around it. Its an incredible phenomenon.

He will never spend, they have lied to you over and over again but you still believe the lies. They let Mark Stone walk out the door as the best two way winger in hockey at 26 years old. They clearly are not willing to spend WAKE UP PEOPLE.

The team was dogshit with Stone, it sucks to lose him but we did get back a solid prospect. Why are you so adamant that the team spends money now? Do you have any concept of how far we are away from being a contender or would you be happy with an ok team that finishes in the 11-7 spot?

 

[Shruggs Peterson]

The optimist in me says if Melnyk wants to pay as little as possible, this is the season to do with their 11 draft picks in a deep 2020 class.

The pessimist in me says Thomas Chabot will be flipped for picks because he asks for his market value, furthering this cycle of pennies on the dollar

 

[Joeyjoejoe]

On the bright side, imagine that these financial shenanigans were designed to clear the decks for the next chapter, when a more competitive mandate and perhaps new ownership were to kick in. This is the annual daydream exercise in Ottawa, while lying in the grass and staring at summer cloud formations — imagining the next phase of Senators hockey, when the team gets real again.

From the article.

For the love of that is holy and true please sell you f***ing ghoul. Let me enjoy hockey again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ksens]

The team was dog**** with Stone, it sucks to lose him but we did get back a solid prospect. Why are you so adamant that the team spends money now? Do you have any concept of how far we are away from being a contender or would you be happy with an ok team that finishes in the 11-7 spot?

Even if you buy that we shouldn't or couldn't have signed guys like Stone and that the rebuild is on track and FYOUS is coming the Senators should be using money and cap to acquire assets now.

Why everyone is laughing at this farce is that the Callahan trade is not a hockey trade. We used our cap space to help out an eastern conference rival and save Melnyk cash flow in the coming season. We didn't make the team better on the ice. We didn't acquire future assets. It's a joke, and it's indefensible.

 

[bert]

The team was dog**** with Stone, it sucks to lose him but we did get back a solid prospect. Why are you so adamant that the team spends money now? Do you have any concept of how far we are away from being a contender or would you be happy with an ok team that finishes in the 11-7 spot?

Are you trying to argue that signing Stone isnt a good play for the long term? Just trying to wrap my head around what your argument is. I want them to spend money on making the team better, they are spending 13 million below the cap floor I do want them to spend money to be good in the future yes. You know instead of when they eat salary to get real assets not dump other salary back not hard to understand. I have a very good concept of where this team is thanks. They just finished dead last with Stone, Duchene, Dzingel on the team for most of the year. Why do you think they will be so much better with only Stone? .... They are going to be the worst team in hockey this year with or without him. Atleast if he was here he could show them good work habits, lead by example and take the hard matchups.

 

[stempniaksen]

This is anecdotal, but I feel like a lot of the same people saying "look at all the kids we have" are the same people who trashed the Oilers for not having any core veterans around during their rebuilding years. I understand the team (EM) not wanting to spend money in a down/lost season where the team is expected to bottom out, but you can't build a skyscraper (FYOUS) on zero foundation. I guess the organization is banking on the new coaching staff to be the entire foundation for this team, but that's a dangerous game to play with a first time NHL HC, especially for a team with the recent coaching history of the Senators.

 

[Upgrayedd]

Literally nothing excites me with the team currently and going forward, a lottery draft win would mean 2 to 3 years of a young flashy player poorly supported until he too would be gone via trade or offersheet. Im almost certain Eugene Melnyk and co would have traded McDavid for peanuts as oppose to re-signing him due to Genos financial status that he has telegraphed to anyone and everyone who will listen. He wont pay Chabot he wont pay Tkachuk and he certainly wont pay a potential top 3 2020 draft superstar as we have seen several times already. Love seeing the fanbase stick the gears to the guy. Laughing at the propaganda peddlers will only keep me around for so long, hopefully new ownership comes along prior to selfishly myself personally losing interest completely.

 

[Ice-Tray]

Another thing that is amusing is how so many people who mocked Edmonton for their youth movement (trade away their good veteran players) and years of failure that McDavid can't even fix... we're going to tank just like they did, draft first overall once or twice and not be stuck in the same situation. It's going to work for us. We laughed at them but it will work for us.

Having Karlsson and Stone even if they were passed their primes is still a huge asset. You have two intelligent and supremely talented individuals to teach the young guys.

I get why you’re saying, but I think we can source that veteran skill and experience without having to pay over 20 million a year on it until each player is in their late 30’s.

A Spezza this year, or a Gonchar when we signed him, or both, would suffice to fill that void I think, and it would cost sooooo much less.

 

[Ice-Tray]

Sports fans have been conditioned to defend their team against all criticism from outsiders. Like, when a Leafs fan starts ripping the Sens, your first instinct is to jump to defend your team.

It's hard for some fans to understand and react when that criticism is coming from within the fanbase, and sometimes they are slow to come around to the truth when that criticism is warranted.

Sure, that’s one way of looking at it, another is that they don’t want to be a part of incessant criticism of everything and anything.

Some fans don’t think that everything surrounding this team, and all transaction made are due criticism.

Some yes definitely, all? Naw, that so tiresome.

Some Sens fans actually want to enjoy watching the team play hockey in the ice, and don’t use the team as a means to endlessly vent. Can their be room for both kinds of fans? And all the types of fans In between?

Dare to dream...

 

[Qward]

Probably by acquiring more LTIR contracts.

I heard Alex Steen's knees are are 12 months from failing and that Ilya Kovalchuk has been seeing a therapist about his fear of flying.

 

[stempniaksen]

I get why you’re saying, but I think we can source that veteran skill and experience without having to pay over 20 million a year on it until each player is in their late 30’s.

A Spezza this year, or a Gonchar when we signed him, or both, would suffice to fill that void I think, and it would cost sooooo much less.

I think the point is that Karlsson (or more specifically Stone) would still be able to help out during FYOUS while being here to help lay the groundwork of a championship team. Bringing in vets who are washed is fine, given that they still help the kids off the ice but they don't help out on the ice in the short (not an issue I guess) or long (more of an issue, imo) term.

It would be nice to have young vets around who could lead our young group while also being able to contribute when we're supposed to be good. Instead we have the team as currently constructed with the entire core being U23 and then placeholder depth vets that will be long gone by the time this team is competitive.

Kind of reminds me of the Oilers model honestly, which is a little bit scary.

 

[Joeyjoejoe]

The team was dog**** with Stone, it sucks to lose him but we did get back a solid prospect. Why are you so adamant that the team spends money now? Do you have any concept of how far we are away from being a contender or would you be happy with an ok team that finishes in the 11-7 spot?

Yes because when a team is shit its the good players fault.