On the Ottawa Senators …
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk doesn’t plan on selling the team.
“I am NOT selling the team — period,” said Melnyk in the email. “My kids (had) first call on the franchise long ago.”
Kyle Turris said yesterday that he thinks management wanted to re-sign him, but ownership didn’t.
TSN’s Ian Mendes tweeted GM Pierre Dorion’s comment about Turris’ comments: “Everything in the hockey department goes through me — not Mr. Melnyk.” Kyle Turris’ wife responded to the tweet with “lol.”
Melnyk says that he pays Dorion “big bucks” to manage the hockey operations.
“He makes the decisions and only has to get a sign-off from me when it involves the movement of a A or B player — coming in or going out,” Melnyk said. “I can’t remember ever overriding a Pierre Dorion decision.”
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group president Jeff Hunt on rumors that he was part of an ownership group that was wanting to buy the Ottawa Senators from Eugene Melnyk.
“There’s nothing to it, ” he said when reached by Postmedia.
Chris Nichols of FanRag Sports: Pierre LeBrun on TSN 1040 radio talking about the Ottawa Senators.
“The other thing is the whispers won’t go away that somehow maybe Eugene Melnyk might sell this team one day,” said the Insider. “I think he will deny that until the day it happens, but that’s another X factor in all of this that you can’t ignore. What if there’s a new owner of this team within the next two-to-three years that is willing to spend more.
“So who knows. Not to mention way down the road, but this team needs to move downtown and have an arena that does a lot better for them in terms of revenue streams than the place they built out in the wilderness.”
LeBrun continues that he believes that GM Pierre Dorion continues to talk trade with teams about players not named Erik Karlsson.
Ken Warren of the Ottawa Sun: Senators GM Dorion said yesterday that they are not making any coaching changes.
The Senators are 1-10-2 since returning from their trip to Sweden. Dorion said he’d do anything, potential trades, that will help improve his team.
“We’re looking at everything,” he said. “I think I have talked to 27 or 28 of my 30 (general manager) counterparts in the last three days. We’re looking for solutions. When you go through streaks like this, you have to look at everything.”
Dorion adds that he wouldn’t be doing his job properly if he didn’t listen to trade offers on every player they have and that he’s had everyone’s trade lists for a long time.
Dorion said it’s their priority to keep Karlsson within the organization for the rest of his career.
“It’s our wish, all of us, for Erik Karlsson to be with us for the next 10 years,” Dorion said. “But if an opposing team calls you and makes an offer you can’t refuse… all I know is I’m a hockey (history) buff. If Wayne Gretzky got traded, I think any player in the NHL can get traded.”