- TSN: Senators owner Eugene Melnyk blames Daniel Alfredsson’s agent, J.P. Barry, for him leaving the Sens.
“For anyone to even suggest the remote possibility that Bryan Murray is not fully honest in his clear recollection of events should be ashamed of themselves,” Melnyk told TSN on Friday. “I point the finger squarely on JP Barry, the man who blessed us with the (Dany) Heatley mess.”
Barry stands by the comments he made on Thursday.
“Shooting the messenger is something I have never believed in nor will I ever,” Barry explained to TSN on Thursday. “It’s just not productive in our business to make negotiations personal.”
“I decided not to respond in July when Bryan chose to criticize my role as an agent in this process. It was an emotional day. I get it.
“The fact is this was a negotiation concerning impending free agency. We made multiple offers and invited them to negotiate. They provided a number on the weekend prior to July 5 and said this is all they can do due to internal budget restrictions. It wasn’t a market offer in our estimation. They wanted Daniel to take a below market deal again after he had done the same several times previously and we didn’t feel that was appropriate.”
- James Bagnall of the Ottawa Citizen: The Senators have been losing close to an average of $10 million a year since Eugene Melnyk bought the team in 2003, about $94 million in total. Before the last CBA had expired, he was trying to negotiate a new loan to cover the team’s $130 million debt that was held by eight banks.
- Dan Rosen of NHL.com: Maple Leafs Dion Phaneuf is scheduled to become a UFA at the end of this season:
“Obviously Dion is a core part of our team,” Nonis said. “He’s our captain. He’s fit well into Toronto and our group and there’s no reason to think he won’t be here for the long run.”