A shadow over Senators: Karlsson, Hoffman, and a possible burner account

On Tuesday, a shocking story was published concerning Erik Karlsson and Mike Hoffman of the Ottawa Senators. What might the fallout from this look like?

A few days ago, rumors began circulating on Twitter related to a report on the Ottawa Senators. The substance of the buzz was potentially damaging in nature, but actual details were fairly limited in scope.

An off-the-record source alleged that Mike Hoffman — first liner, left winger, power play specialist — was in the process of being shipped away from Canada’s capital for good. The individual told The 6th Sens that the story involved off-ice drama and went on to state that they hoped the situation eventually “sees the light of day.”

Fast forward to Tuesday afternoon. Bombshell news is made public — the implications of which form the basis of headlines across the nation:

"Melinda Karlsson, née Currey, has filed an application for an order of protection against the longtime girlfriend of Senators forward Mike Hoffman — alleging a campaign of harassment that plagued the Karlssons after the death of their son and through much of the last NHL season[.]The application for a peace bond sworn in front of Justice of the Peace Louise Logue on May 4, alleges that Monika Caryk, Hoffman’s partner, had threatened Melinda and husband Erik Karlsson from November 2017 to the date the information was sworn to."

The specifics surrounding Melinda Karlsson’s accusations are still being worked out. We know that they concern alleged utterances and posts from Ms. Caryk directed toward the Karlsson family — the likes of which graphically targeted Melinda, Erik and their unborn child.

Hoffman has since denied the aforementioned allegations. In a statement published by the Citizen, the 28-year-old remarked that he and his fiancée would assist in the ensuing process:

"Obviously this is a tough time that they’re going through, and we want to find out who is doing this, because for some reason it’s coming into our court, and it’s 150 per cent that it’s not us.We have nothing to hide. We’re willing to co-operate in any way to solve this and figure it out, and prove that it wasn’t us."

The story is just the latest in the ongoing fiasco that has informed Ottawa’s 2017-18 campaign. Just a goal away from the Stanley Cup Final in the 2017 NHL playoffs, the Senators’ fall from grace has been a gruelling process, containing everything from administrative controversies to on-ice declines in form. Nevertheless, Melinda Karlsson’s accusations are indeed reflective of yet another — and unquestionably more disastrous — dimension to the organization’s struggles, which now expand into the realm of the team’s locker room.

Some things, however, are far bigger than the game itself. And while due process will run its course in the time to come, certain individuals are not hesitating to publicly express their support for the Karlsson family.

Julie Turris — wife of former Senator Kyle Turris — has spoken out on the matter. It’s no secret that she was a deeply respected member of the Ottawa community back when she called Canada’s capital her home.

Marlee Hammond — wife of former Senator Andrew Hammond — was also direct in her take on the situation.

Taylor Winnik — wife of Daniel Winnik — maintained that she, too, had come across abusive comments of this variety.

Kodette LaBarbera — wife of Jason LaBarbera — speculated further.

Ottawa’s goaltender, Craig Anderson, also favorited a tweet that took aim at the Senators’ locker room, while the girlfriend of Mark Stone, Hayley Thompson, tweeted her support for Melinda in a post that has since been removed.

Of course, only time will tell the extent of the abuse that the Karlsson family was left to endure, and the role — or lack thereof — of Ms. Caryk in the endeavor.

What’s clear, though, is that the story in question shall further cloud the narrative that was expected to occupy the talk circuit of hockey media heading into the summer — that is, the question of where the Senators’ captain will sign if he opts to test the free agency market.

There’s little doubt that the Senators’ locker room has been left to grapple with the prospect of facing damage that is all but irreplaceable at this point. The fact that the club’s administrators are looking to ship out Hoffman can definitely alleviate some of the internal tension, but the winger’s value has surely taken a hit.

Whether Karlsson shall be willing to sign an extension with the very franchise that has often been criticized for its lack of support for the veteran defender is another can of worms altogether.

Senators general manager Pierre Dorion has already announced that the team will make Karlsson an eight-year offer on July 1. That said, the world of hockey pundits has taken any sentiment from the organization’s front office with a grain of salt. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet even ruminated on the possibility of the Vegas Golden Knights revisiting their previous bid for a Karlsson deal in his recent 31 Thoughts column.

For now, hockey fans will wait in anticipation for Dorion & Co.’s next move. If there’s ever been a time for complete transparency, cooperation and respect for the most important player in Senators’ history, it’s now.

But as the cautious warn, bad things tend to come in threes. The Senators have already been confronted with two major scandals in the last while. According to hockey analytics specialist and TSN contributor Travis Yost, the shadow of a third story may be looming larger than ever.

What does Yost know?

UPDATE: Yost’s blog post

It looks like we won’t have to wait in anticipation for an update from Yost.

On Thursday, the insider published a blog post in which he alleged that a strange account had recently made the rounds of Senators-related Twitter. It’s a story that’s strangely reminiscent of a narrative that took the world of sport by storm not so long ago.

You can read the entirety of Yost’s post here. His claims are twofold in nature:

"Anyways, let’s talk about the material on the account. The tweets follow a common theme:1. They only tweet about the Ottawa Senators and their AHL affiliate2. They are particularly supportive of the decision makers in the organization"

Now, we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves just yet. It’s been a heck of a week in Canada’s capital and the fallout of the aforementioned stories can be potentially damaging beyond the point of repair. Better times may emerge sooner than we expected, as the team has secured the fourth pick in the 2018 NHL Draft.

Nonetheless, it’s only reasonable for hockey lovers to fan the flames of speculation — especially in conjunction with an organization that is notorious for lacking openness and transparency.

Next: 5 best fits for Erik Karlsson in NHL free agency

Are the Senators about to have their own burner account fiasco? And what will the ramifications of a scandal of this variety look like? Expect to learn more in the not-so-distant future.