I am sure I am lumped in with the negative tone. My thoughts...
-These are professionals that are overpaid ridiculous amounts of money that allow them to live a life most of us are envious about. I won't feel bad at all for the criticism they face, because it comes with the territory. Don't like it? Well, there's plenty of jobs they could do that would allow them to be anonymous and avoid criticism. This is just a sports thing and not Ottawa specific either.
-There is a whole lot of, you're negative because you don't think like me attitude that keeps it all in a loop. I don't like acquiring Gudbranson (or other moves) and I should be allowed to say it without being made to feel like I'm just not "getting it" or I don't understand hockey. No, I just don't like the move and am putting thoughts out about it and how it impacts the team going forward and what patterns I feel I might be seeing in some of these decisions. It's pretty clear there are two defined groups entrenched in their positions that battle on here. It leads to a lot of hyperbole and insults, but it's not one side particularly to blame. There are also mods which appear associated with the entrenched sides which leads to some additional angst.
-We are all fanatics and that is going to come out in the way we talk about the team and making it seem more important than it really is in life. I wouldn't watch if i'm not emotionally invested, full stop. I watch the Senators and a couple other teams I'm fond of, same goes for other sports, but it has to have an emotional component or it won't keep my interest. I think some people just enjoy good hockey and want to watch that regardless of teams and are able to separate their emotion a little more. I am envious of that mentality as it comes with less anguish, but I also know it means I just wouldn't watch. There have been times in life where I would say the Ottawa Senators were the most important thing in my life and that probably leads to some unhealthy mental attachments to desired outcomes, but it is what it is.
-Management has a questionable track record and they are critiqued for it and not trusted going forward because of it. It's up to them to change opinions by making moves the fans would get behind, but I don't think they're in the position where these moves will be supported regardless. This leads in to my next point...
-Expectations vs. reality. Fans have been in large part under the impression the goal was to get a lot better next year and start making moves this summer to start that. Unfortunately, Covid hit and everything is thrown off. I think the plan changed and they're banking on another throwaway season and lottery pick next year. The Murray move seems contradictory to that, but the rest of their moves look like they're actively looking to stay in the basement.
-PR from the team prior to this year was very poorly done and it unfortunately further exasperated the situation and caused a lot of damage to their image. When you have Nick Rutkowski saying things like the fans should be excited because they're obligated to hit the cap floor, or Dorion bragging about the greatest day being the Stone trade, it's just not going to go over well. I'm sure there are rational arguments for why those things are said and the context, but that one is on them for providing those damaging sound bites imo.
-Melnyk. This isn't going away and I don't think it ever will. He is the heel character in Ottawa and the media perpetuates this big time, keeping it fresh in everyone's minds every time a story pops up.
I feel like I read a ton of positivity leading up to the draft and during the first round. People have voiced their opinions about what they thought was good. There were some other things that weren't met as positively and people then criticized those moves and voicing their feelings that the same past trends of some poor decision making were happening. I don't really see what's so wrong about that.
). Meet the infamous bad guy "xspyrit"!
