“Look at the guys who had an impact there and now they’re all gone. It doesn’t make much sense,” said a former Senator, who requested anonymity. “There’s so much going on behind the scenes that I don’t know who’s pulling the strings, but I feel bad because the fans there are so awesome. I loved playing there and it’s got to be so hard for them because we were one goal away from going to the Stanley Cup final last year and then there’s this.“I don’t want to badmouth the team, but I didn’t want to leave. I was very happy there. I was frustrated when I left.”
The Ottawa Senators were one of my favourite teams not too long ago. That kid called "Hamburger" won 20 games in a row and then they almost made it to the Finals. But in the last year, the Senators have given away all their awesome players and it feels like their is some kind of childish feud between the owner and the Ottawa fans. So what is really going on?
If you are a conspiracy theorist like me, you might consider the fact that the NHL manages the league to make winning teams in markets they are trying to grow. Ottawa is far from that market.
On the other hand, maybe you believe that Ottawa is trying to rebuild. Ehhh it's possible I guess, but it was my understanding that you always rebuild around some core vets that are the heart and soul of the team... and now they are all gone.
Ottawa has traded my faves Erik Karlsson, Mika Zibanejad, Kyle Turris, Mike Hoffman, and now one of the best leaders in the NHL, Mark Stone.