(NHL) Senators' Day of Infamy
Today is the 13th of September, and though it's not a Friday, it's a day that's going to go down in Ottawa Senators's history as one of the worst days ever.
The Ottawa Senators have traded their generational, *franchise* player, Erik Karlsson to the San Jose Sharks for a couple of NHLers with some experience but no panache and scoring ability and a batch of prospects and conditional picks. This is a mess of a deal that gave them the equivalent of a penny on the dollar. The trade was made to continue the rebuilding of the franchise that owner Eugene Melnyk and GM Pierre Dorion have put in place with their plan, to make the team younger and faster over the long haul. So much for contending for the next few years, as there are going to be a lot of bad nights to sit through and watch (assuming anyone goes to the game any more, as Karlsson was the main draw with his dazzling displays on many nights, even when he was operating at only 75%). The question is whether Mark Stone and Matt Duchene are going to be willing to stick with the Senators and sign deal extensions to play here in the long term over the course of the rebuild. And whether other players of quality will come to Ottawa to play, knowing that the team's owner obviously didn't want to give Erik Karlsson what he was worth contract-wise.
While I'm angry about the trade and sad about the loss, I am kind of looking forward to seeing what sort of product the team puts on the ice, as I lived through the early days of the franchise. I think like most Senators fans, I'm in for a long season - and perhaps the team overhaul isn't done yet. And also like most Senators fans, I wish Erik Karlsson nothing but the best with his new team, and really hope that he gets to slide a Stanley Cup ring onto his finger one of these years.
That said, the Senators got a very poor return for their generational star player. This may rank up there as one of the worst trades in NHL history, depending on how the prospects and potential-filled players do in the next five or six years. But that said... October 13th, 2018. A day that will live in infamy for Senators fans. The day they traded away their franchise player for...nothing, pretty much.
No, Sens, No!
The Ottawa Senators have traded their generational, *franchise* player, Erik Karlsson to the San Jose Sharks for a couple of NHLers with some experience but no panache and scoring ability and a batch of prospects and conditional picks. This is a mess of a deal that gave them the equivalent of a penny on the dollar. The trade was made to continue the rebuilding of the franchise that owner Eugene Melnyk and GM Pierre Dorion have put in place with their plan, to make the team younger and faster over the long haul. So much for contending for the next few years, as there are going to be a lot of bad nights to sit through and watch (assuming anyone goes to the game any more, as Karlsson was the main draw with his dazzling displays on many nights, even when he was operating at only 75%). The question is whether Mark Stone and Matt Duchene are going to be willing to stick with the Senators and sign deal extensions to play here in the long term over the course of the rebuild. And whether other players of quality will come to Ottawa to play, knowing that the team's owner obviously didn't want to give Erik Karlsson what he was worth contract-wise.
While I'm angry about the trade and sad about the loss, I am kind of looking forward to seeing what sort of product the team puts on the ice, as I lived through the early days of the franchise. I think like most Senators fans, I'm in for a long season - and perhaps the team overhaul isn't done yet. And also like most Senators fans, I wish Erik Karlsson nothing but the best with his new team, and really hope that he gets to slide a Stanley Cup ring onto his finger one of these years.
That said, the Senators got a very poor return for their generational star player. This may rank up there as one of the worst trades in NHL history, depending on how the prospects and potential-filled players do in the next five or six years. But that said... October 13th, 2018. A day that will live in infamy for Senators fans. The day they traded away their franchise player for...nothing, pretty much.
No, Sens, No!