What is this "rift" you are talking about? There was no rift, only one that Melnyk and Dorion used as an excuse to cut costs. Karlsson's Instagram account was littered with him hanging out with current Sens players throughout the summer.
The only rift that existed was between the wives of EK and Hoff. When Hoff was traded, that should have solved it, but EK "wanted to be paid", just like every other upcoming UFA, Melnyk didn't like that. Thus, the real rift between the owner and the fanbase began.
Karlsson, Duchene, Stone, Dzingel, Hoffman. 5 star players that have been moved within a 10 month period. This has never happened in sports before and there is no reason to let Melnyk/Dorion off the hook here.