The Ottawa Senators have been dwelling at or near the bottom of the Atlantic Division for several years now as owner Eugene Melnyk has taken a team that was one win away from going to the Stanley Cup in 2017 and has torn it down piece by piece, selling off practically every asset in on its team. Interestingly enough, if you look back to that 2017 team, only two players remain still on the roster from that squad three years ago — Colin White, who played just two games, and forward Nick Paul, who played one.
However, after posting a combined 82-124-29 record over the last three years, Melnyk spoke to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun on the day of the team’s 30th anniversary, claiming the team is now heading in the right direction and are well on their way to a being a Stanley Cup contender.
“We have turned the corner. We just now need to execute on what we have,” Melnyk said. “This is the team, with what we have right now, I believe can win a Stanley Cup already, and that’s without adding some veterans, which we plan to do.”
Ottawa, which has progressively moved all of its stars over the past three years, which includes a list of Erik Karlsson, Mark Stone, Mike Hoffman, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, amongst others. The team then cut ties with a number of veterans this year, including goaltender Craig Anderson and forward Bobby Ryan before going out and signing a number of free agents in the offseason, bringing in Evgenii Dadonov, Alex Galchenyuk, Erik Gudbranson to complement their youth movement and even added a few others via trade, including goaltender Matt Murray.
Melnyk said in the interview that the team intends to continue to be active at the trade deadline, but no longer as sellers.
“We’ll be a team that’s active at the trade deadline and not as sellers, but as buyers, just like we used to be,” Melnyk said. “If you look at my track record on spending on players, we were always up there. We were never at the top, but we were always right there or around the centre. Now, we’re going to stay somewhere in the centre, depending on where it’s at. Our budgets are always somewhere around $70 million, which is in the centre.”
In those three years of struggles, the Senators have put together a pool of impressive young talent, including a few top lottery selections over the past few years such as Brady Tkachuk (2018), as well as Tim Stuetzle and Jake Sanderson, both top-five picks in this year’s draft. The team has accumulated quite a few picks in the draft too, including six picks in the top 61 this past year and have four more picks in the first two rounds of 2021. With many of their young talents either ready or quite close to being ready to contribute, the Senators could make quite a jump in the standings in the next couple of years, especially if the owner is willing to spend.
Melnyk already made sure to lock up 23-year-old Thomas Chabot to an eight-year, $64MM extension last year and Tkachuk could easily be the next in line to sign an extension within the next year as he will be a restricted free agent after the 2020-21 season.
what
Galchenyuk and Gudbranson will not help you turn a corner. Murray will get exposed on his glove hand unless the defense blocks every lane possible.
Holger snuck in a click-bait on us! OTT will be buyers, all right, but of their own tickets to start another legendary “sellout streak”! ;)
Nothing like predicting being 5 points out close to the deadline of a Covid shortened season…that hasn’t started yet.
Makes you wonder what they smoke in their bubble.
@Dave – After hearing PD on a podcast a couple (few?) weeks ago, I kept thinking that it really wasn’t him, but I rewound it and, sure enough it was. Man, he was out there! Next up for them will be a bunch of hologram-billboards in the city with DJS saying “Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope!”
Maybe I shouldn’t knock the owners. Art Williams still draws me a Bobby Bonilla check!
Lol
buyers at the deadline? the one many wonder will even happen because players may need to quarntine before joining their new club? sure!!!
I guess in fairness to Melnyk he didn’t actually say which deadline they would be buyers! Lol
Maybe if he stays away from the team they might have a chance in a couple of years???
This is why owners should guard themselves behind executives who speak for the franchise— so that an owner doesn’t go exposing his insecurities and lack of perspective when he opens his trap to the media.
On the other hand, media should love owners acting this way.
If the Sens buy anything at the deadline it should be a golf course & Purell
Eugene may be saving those pennies
for renting a heard of U Hauls for their move to Quebec City , Quebec Nordiques
I unfortunately don’t believe very much that comes out of Melnyk’s mouth. He is cheap, cheap, cheap!!!
Always looking for government bailouts for this and that. He says one thing and does the exact opposite.
I am shocked at this news considering what team it is. I hope it isn’t a smoke screen for Ottawa fans.
Just as long as they’re controllable pieces, why not? After this upcoming season they’ll be making a push and should be able to pass most of the division besides Tampa and Boston. Add a trade piece and three of their top prospects and its not a bad team.
Whenever Sens top prospects are discussed why is Alex Formenton almost never discussed?
Finished 7th in AHL scoring and 2nd in Rookie scoring behind Josh Norris and possesses elite NHL speed.
27g & 53pts in an abbreviated AHL freshman season.
I read here about the Ottawa Senators’ owner being excited for this season. The team’s currently not doing well right now as they are dead last in the North division, however, I think that they’re tanking through the season to increase their chances of landing another one or two of the top-five picks in the next upcoming draft as they plan on building around young talented players for their on-going rebuild. I’m quite excited to see how things would pan out for the Sens after a couple more seasons when their young players become NHL regulars.