The Ottawa Senators cleaned house this week as Bryan Murray stepped down as general manager with assistant GM Pierre Dorion taking over the position on Sunday. Head coach Dave Cameron was given the axe. It is clear changes are still coming to the Senators. Owner Eugene Melnyk indicated as much, saying no players were untouchable on the roster including Senators superstar Erik Karlsson, reports Dan Seguin of the CBC.
Eugene Melnyk says no one on the #Sens, including Erik Karlsson is untouchable. He'll leave that up to the hockey people.
— Dan Séguin (@SeguinSports) April 12, 2016
Now, Melnyk may be trying to make a statement to his players by saying nobody is untouchable, but frankly it’s ludicrous for him to mention Karlsson in his comments.
Karlsson is the best defenseman in the NHL and by far the best player the Senators have. Karlsson had a stupendous year in a down season overall for the team, scoring 16 goals and 82 points, leading all rearguards in scoring. He scored at a point-per-game pace which is insane for a defenseman. If he played on a winning team he’d be a lock for his second consecutive Norris Trophy. In fact, he should still be a lock for the trophy.
Dorion likely wants to make a splash in his first offseason behind the helm, but trading Karlsson would instantly make him a villain in Ottawa. Plus, I don’t think he’s stupid enough to trade Karlsson unless the offer is overwhelming.
I’d take Melnyk’s comments with a grain of salt. He’s mad the team he owns is in a state of flux. He wants to give Dorion the ability to improve the roster and is saying no player is safe in achieving that goal. Karlsson may not be ‘safe’ but Dorion and Melnyk should know what kind of player they have and keep him in Ottawa for as long as humanly possible.
