Ottawa Senators: Would the Real General Manager Please Stand Up?

Can the Ottawa Senators fire the general manager AND the owner? That would make things so much easier.

It is February 12th, 13 days before the NHL trade deadline, and we have heard nothing concerning the Ottawa Senators and their multiple pending free agents.

It seems that any time the Senators make headlines it has to do with something owner Eugene Melnyk blabbed to the media, or in a recent case to a corporate event. In the last few months it has been difficult to spot GM Pierre Dorion, either because he hasn’t said anything of note or because the Senators have done nothing to address their contract issues.

It has probably been mentioned in the past, but does Dorion actually have the ability to do anything without Melnyk dictating orders like the Emperor in Star Wars? Does he run the day-to-day operations of the Sens, or does Melnyk simply use him as a puppet?

Who Is Really In Charge?

Now obviously the owner of a sports franchise has final say on all team operations, but typically owners have no idea how to put a solid management group and team together. That’s why a GM is brought in, to build the franchise into a success so the owner can turn a profit.

Our good friend Eugene clearly did not get that message, and instead of being off to the side and allowing the folks with actual hockey knowledge to run the team he has inserted himself into every aspect of the Ottawa Senators organization. He’s the one in cringe-worthy videos with players, he’s the one talking about how long the rebuild will take, he’s the one who is in the limelight instead of focusing on the financial side of the team.

He is the shadow GM, the one pulling the strings despite the fact that he shouldn’t be anywhere close to the hockey operations of the team.

Dorion? Dorion? Dorion?

All of this begs the question: What the hell does Pierre Dorion actually do?

On paper he is the general manager of the Ottawa Senators, but he’s really just there for show. It’s Melnyk who makes all the decisions, he just uses Dorion as a mouthpiece to avoid the distinction of being an owner/GM hybrid like Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys.

The most notable thing Dorion has done recently is his infamous “We’re a team” clip from back in September. Other than that, nothing of importance has come from Dorion’s mouth.

Any team news or decisions comes straight from the top, it’s been that way for several years now. Why do you think Julie Turris, wife of former Senator Kyle Turris, had this response to a comment Dorion made about his relationship with Melnyk?

It’s apparent that Dorion’s trades and decisions are controlled by a businessman who lives in Barbados. Whether it’s the Erik Karlsson trade, the Matt Duchene trade, or the lack of transactions or signings once this season actually began, it all stinks of poor ownership rather than bad management. The will of someone who cares more about the present and his wallet than the future of the team.

Will Anything Change?

The problem now is that even though fans have voiced their displeasure, Melnyk isn’t going to change anything. He will simply use the veil of the rebuild to avoid any blame and continue spewing his “everything is going according to plan” mentality. It’s like the captain of the Titanic asking everyone to remain clam even though half of the ship has already sunken into the water.

Before the 2018-19 campaign began, the powers that be were already considering this a lost season. Because of this, it is entirely possible that no changes will be made in the management department. And even if it did bring change, Melnyk is just going to bring in the guy who kisses his backside the best and sounds intelligent when he is passing on the owner’s orders.

In this case, to reference The Lord of the Rings, the general manager is the Mouth of Sauron, a faceless being who’s only there to pass on messages from the lord in the tower above. His only job is to carry out his master’s bidding, his bidding being running the Ottawa Senators like a dunce so Melnyk doesn’t have to take all of the blame. Unfortunately for Melnyk, he has opened his mouth one too many times, and we are all the wiser for it.