Worries Galore

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    This morning (12a.m. ET) was the beginning period in which teams were granted permission to speak to upcoming free agents. Unfortunately, one player's phone that must've been blowing up today was Ottawa's own, Daniel Alfredsson. Alfredsson told GM Bryan Murray and the rest of the Ottawa Senators team Friday that he indeed wanted to return next season. However,  J.P. Barry, Alfredsson's agent and the Senators were unable to come to an agreement in Newark, N.J. at the NHL Draft. Alfredsson was looking for at least 6 million per season, and can you blame him? Alfredsson showed the NHL that the age of 40, he can still compete in this league. Not only that, but he is also the longest active tenured captain in the NHL. Both sides have been unable to come to an agreement and once midnight struck this morning, Boston was the first team lined up to make a phone call to Alfredsson. Boston expressed a lot of interest last season at the trade deadline concerning Alfredsson, but the Senators weren't too quick in giving up their Captain. This time around, Boston's pursuit is much greater as they have a RW void that needs to be filled, and who else to fill it other than one of the best players to play the game.
    I don't think anyone saw this becoming as difficult as it has been, considering the only question would be whether or not, Alfredsson would come back, and indeed, the answer was yes. So what is really going on behind the Ottawa doors that we don't know? There has been much speculation that the Ottawa Senators simply do not have enough money to tack on big player salaries. Owner, Eugene Melnyk has come out and said that the Sens would like to put in $50 million towards player salaries, which leaves us at a state of confusion. If Ottawa does indeed re-sign Alfredsson(which I'm almost sure they will), and RFA's Patrick Wiercioch and Erik Condra then the Senators are very close to that $50 million ceiling. This means that the Senators will be very inactive throughout the Free Agency extravaganza, and if they do bring someone in, it will likely be via trade, which means the Sens will have to surrender some valuable assets.
    The biggest concern is, if Ottawa cannot sign Daniel Alfredsson, then how in the world will they sign anyone else?! Melnyk has been extremely shady this offseason. Let's take a look at what Melnyk has done this offseason.

1. Changed partnerships with Scotiabank Place and joined forces in renaming Ottawa's home arena, the Canadian Tire Centre.

2. Pushed EXTREMELY hard for a casino to increase revenue to help in any way the struggling arena.

3. Announced that he would like to keep player salaries to at least $50 million.

4. Struggled to reach an agreement with Captain, Daniel Alfredsson and RFA's Patrick Wiercioch and Erik Condra.

    The bottom line is, Ottawa seems to be struggling financially. Either that or Melnyk is really stingy about his money ever since pouring so much money in previous years and being unsuccessful.Perhaps, the biggest question is what will happen to the Sens' future? If Melnyk continues to struggle to bring in revenue and continues to underpay players, soon enough, no one will want to play in Ottawa. The city really isn't enticing to players, as we have seen numerous times, Ottawa pursue a big player in the FA market and come up unsuccessful, (i.e. Rick Nash).
    Although, I was a fan of the low cap payroll last season clearing up space in hopes to bring in a big name in the offseason, those hopes seem to have vanished now. Ottawa has a lot of players entering their final years of their entry-level contracts anticipating big NHL money. The Sens cannot afford to watch these promising rookies walk once their entry-level deals expire. It's going to be extremely difficult and ride the wave, believing that the draft and acquisition of cheap players after another is going to help us attain the main goal, and that is the Stanley Cup. The question is, will Melnyk pay these players to keep Ottawa competitive for the next couple of years, or will this simply become one of Ottawa's swan songs in which everyone will have to want to take a pay cut and play in Ottawa. Although, I agree that certainly not everyone in the NHL is worth a lot of money, Ottawa has to be smart in salary spending when reaching out to players. For every couple of players in the FA market, there's one that is worth the money. The question is going to come down to whether Melnyk is willing to give up some money to ultimately bring Lord Stanley to Ottawa. Personally, I have lost a lot of faith in Melnyk this offseason, and it doesn't look too sunny on the other side, but then again those are my 2 cents, and anything can change overnight, especially in the NHL.



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