Ottawa Senators owner says no one is safe after this season

There could be some huge changes for the Ottawa Senators after a very disappointing season. 

The Ottawa Senators entered the 2015-2016 season with high expectations after a Cinderella run to the playoffs in 2014-2015. However, things have quickly gone south for them as they find themselves in 20th place as of March 22nd, and it’s likely that they will miss the playoffs for the second time in three seasons despite having the likely Norris Trophy winner in Erik Karlsson. Ottawa’s owner Eugene Melnyk is fed up, and he’s not going to take it anymore.

“We’re going to have to make changes for next year, said Melnyk, via Sportsnet. “There’s nobody safe when you have a year like we just did. No way.”

It can be assumed that Erik Karlsson is safe. The likely Norris Trophy winner is not a part of the problem at all. Ottawa plays much better when he’s on the ice. It’s the rest of the roster that is the issue. With Michael Kotska, Scott Gomez, and Chris Phillips being the only unrestricted free agents after this season, the changes would likely have to come from the restricted free agents.

Ottawa currently has six players on their roster that will be restricted free agents after this season. Forward Alex Chiasson and defensemen Cody Ceci are definitely safe. Forward Mike Hoffman might be the team’s leading goal scorer despite questionable usage at times, but it’s clear that Hoffman and head coach Dave Cameron don’t like each other. The Senators will most likely be forced to choose between the two, and Cameron could be the one who draws the short end of the straw.

Defenseman Patrick Wiercioch is likely to be traded since his role has been diminished and he is due a raise from his $2,700,00 salary in 2015-2016. Forwards Matt Puempel and Ryan Dzingel are both young and will most likely be cheap, so they will likely be re-signed. Even if they aren’t, they wouldn’t be significant losses.

Those changes will most likely have to occur with the coaching staff and from within the front office. Cameron has made questionable lineup decisions during his tenure with the team. Last season, those decisions were justified because he was winning. He’s not winning now, so those bad decisions have stood out.

As great as Bryan Murray has been for the Senators, he could be another scapegoat. Cameron hasn’t had an optimal roster to work with, and quite frankly, Murray would likely benefit from a lesser role. He is an important figure within the Senators organization because of how valiantly he has fought against cancer.

It remains to be seen what kind of changes Ottawa will make this offseason, but expect for the Opening Night roster in 2016-2017 to look different than it did in 2015-2016.

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