The first day of free agency hasn’t exactly been a kind day for Ottawa Senators fans over the years. Rarely has the team ever signed a “big fish” that has turned out, and most of the time they don’t even have the money to look for a top-six forward or top-four defenseman. Yesterday added to the misery, even if it wasn’t nearly as devastating as years past (like losing Daniel Alfredsson).
From everything that happened yesterday I’ve become quite angry at the team, and I’ve realized that they have hit the stage where they are complacent and their only excuse for not getting better is the budget. I’ve had lots of thoughts about the state of the team in the last 24 hours and I feel the need to get them out in this mini rant.
Firstly, let’s start off with the most disappointing news from yesterday which is losing Erik Condra. Losing him to Tampa Bay is simply unacceptable. I’m not sure how much faith I can put in the management if the Senators can’t afford $1.25 million over just three seasons. To put even more insult to injury, Condra gave them every chance at re-signing him:
Erik Condra tells @TSN1200 that he did give Ottawa a last chance to match the offer from Tampa and the Sens declined.
— Ian Mendes (@ian_mendes) July 2, 2015
It really is just unforgivable to not sign him, as it’s not like he’s breaking the bank whatsoever. Condra was an amazing penalty killer, a possession driver, a good defender and he wanted to be a leader on the team. I don’t know how much more the Senators wanted from him as he was the perfect bottom six player. It’s no secret that the Lightning are one of the smartest teams in the league, and of course they are the ones that gave Condra a very reasonable contract.
Even with their limited budget, Ottawa certainly could have afforded to pay him, and it’s not like three years is an absurd length. Here is a list of some players that received three or more years from Ottawa:
None of those players are better than Condra, so it’s ludicrous to think that he could hamper their budget at some point. Not to mention that Cowen, Greening, Smith, Neil, Phillips, and Michalek will all have expired contracts in Condra’s third year so theoretically there would have been plenty of room for his minute salary.
The whole situation with Condra clearly is very upsetting to me, as he may be replaceable but it’s just not a good sign of things to come for the organization.
Not only is that worrying, it looks like Bryan Murray is done for the summer and has nothing left to do but re-sign Mike Hoffman (who he doesn’t value) and Alex Chiasson.
Apr 7, 2015; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators fans celebrate the goal scored by left wing Mike Hoffman (68) late in the third period to tie the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Canadian Tire Centre. The Senators defeated the Penguins 4-3 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
I don’t understand the complacency with the team, as I truly believe that if they added a top-four right-handed defenseman and a top-nine winger (plus kept Condra) they would be contenders in the east. But as it stands, I really can’t see them keeping pace with the Lightning and Rangers as they both have much better depth everywhere. The thing with a team like the Blackhawks is that they have a threat on every line.
Ottawa needs just a couple more pieces and they would have the potential to go deeper into the playoffs.
However, it appears that they don’t have the money right now. But the thing is, isn’t this the time to spend? Eugene Melnyk and Murray have always said that the team will spend when the time is right and when they think they have a shot. Well when will that ever come?
You can’t possibly expect the team to get better without spending more, and they have a very good young core. Mika Zibanejad, Kyle Turris, Mark Stone, Erik Karlsson, Mike Hoffman, and Bobby Ryan need some proven reinforcements that can turn this team from a bubble team into a conference threat. If the time to spend is not now, then I’m not sure there will ever be a time.
While the summer is not nearly close to over, it appears that Ottawa has completed all the heavy lifting
Murray has signed too many bad contracts, and it’s really hurting them right now.
Without a doubt they could have some quality players on their team like Justin Williams ($3.25 million) and Andrej Sekera ($5.5 million) but there are still a plethora of useless contracts on the books. Sure, the internal budget doesn’t help, but it is Murray’s fault to begin with that they are where they are.
And trust me, this isn’t supposed to be a rant against Murray, because I’ve said before that I love him. He’s a likeable character and it’s hard not to cheer for him. But at the same time, we have to admit he’s made some bad mistakes. Fans are just too supportive sometimes:
Please stop making excuses for Bryan Murray.
— Mike (@gosensgo101) July 1, 2015
While the summer is not nearly close to over, it appears that Ottawa has completed all the heavy lifting. I was expecting a huge summer with some big moves, but really the only exciting thing that happened was the Robin Lehner trade. Once again, they will open the season with the same defense although they may include Chris Wideman (please let it be so).
And as much as I found it puzzling, I was certainly hoping for Murray to get a top-six forward. It wasn’t a pressing need, but if they want to take that next step it would have been a big upgrade. Now I very much doubt anything will happen with the forwards, and we may also see the return of the Greening-Smith-Neil line.
And talking about Greening, I personally can’t understand why Colin Greening has not been bought out.
I know that the team has tried to trade him for so long, and the logical next step would be to buy him out. It would save the team money, plus it means they won’t have to play him. Murray has always talked about opening up spots from younger players (like he did when discussing Condra leaving), and a buyout does exactly that.
But instead, it looks like there’s a good chance the Senators will open the season with a fourth line that absolutely no fans want to see. All three of them showed that they have no spot on this team anymore. If they all start the season in the press box or on another team then I will take back what I have said in the last two paragraphs. But as an Ottawa fan, I know that won’t happen and I am expecting the worst.
The Senators have been stuck in mediocrity since 2007 and haven’t got out. They have a fantastic young core, but they need some other pieces. The problem is, the front office is too complacent right now and their previously signed bad contracts are coming back to haunt them.
Instead of trying to move forward by moving old pieces and acquiring new ones, they are going back to their old ways and it will cost them. As of now I’m not so confident the current roster will make the playoffs because as we all know, the race to the end is incredibly tight.
Maybe Ottawa will surprise me and improve the team over the next couple months, but I can’t see that happening. The run to the playoffs seems like so long ago, and we’re back to reality where Ottawa can’t spend money to improve. I hope I’m wrong, but to me this looks like an organization that’s forever stuck in the middle.
Next: Erik Condra Signs In Tampa, Ottawa Loses Important Depth