Is Eugene Melnyk looking to sell the Ottawa Senators?

The relationship between fans of the Ottawa Senators and the team’s owner Eugene Melnyk has not been very good for a while now. There are rumblings that the team could be for sale.

A large portion of the Ottawa Senators fanbase has wanted Eugene Melnyk to sell the team for quite a while now. The honeymoon between the fanbase and the team’s owner has long been over, and the relationship has been souring for years now.

There have been too many low points in this relationship to cover here, but the big ones have to be the departures of Daniel Alfredsson and the comments made at the outdoor game. Oh, and the perceived reluctance to spend money hasn’t helped either.

There have been rumours and rumblings for a little over one year now that Eugene Melnyk might be in a position to be forced to sell the team. It is no secret to fans of the Ottawa Senators that Eugene Melnyk has had money problems for a few years now. There are reports of gamblings debts not being paid, unpaid bills for the use of his private plane, and not to mention the countless times we’ve seen him being forced to refinance some things. Then there are the fans that believe this rebuild was launched because the owner doesn’t have the money to pay the top players and it’s cheaper to pay for a rebuild. I don’t know if I’m ready to buy into that level of paranoia just yet.

Sportsnet reporter Chris Johnston was on Sportsnet960 today and the topic of Eugene Melnyk was brought up. This stemmed from the reports that surfaced over the weekend that Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, was interested in buying the Ottawa Senators from Eugene Melnyk. There was a snapchat story put out that seemed to be coming from a person that seemed to be Robert Kraft’s granddaughter. That image was later debunked and reporters confirmed that Robert Kraft was indeed not interested in purchasing the Ottawa Senators. Sorry Sens fans.

But that does not mean that there aren’t any interested parties in purchasing the Ottawa Senators from the embattled owner. According to Chris Johnston, Eugene Melnyk has brought in some people to help him find a suitable partner. All signs are pointing towards Eugene Melnyk eventually selling the Ottawa Senators, we just don’t know exactly when a sale could come down. I am willing to bet that Eugene Melnyk will be selling the Ottawa Senators at some point, and I don’t think it will take years for that sale to come through.

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Johnston did go as far as saying that there appears to be an appetite or interest in seeing what the market is for the Ottawa Senators. Essentially, Eugene Melnyk is looking for help in finding someone to purchase the team from him and he’s listening to offers. Depending on which side of the Melnyk Out campaign you fell/fall on, this could be good news for you. For the fans that have been wanting Eugene Melnyk to sell the team, this is very positive news for you.

You can find the full audio of the Chris Johnston interview here. The relevant part of the conversation starts around the 16-minute mark of the interview.

Ottawa Senators fans, what are your thoughts on the reports that Eugene Melnyk is looking to sell the team? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!