The Senators last season failed to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second time in three yearsGETTY IMAGES
Senators Owner Eugene Melnyk has ended "any speculation that he might be interested in moving the Senators to a different market," according to Ian Mendes of TSN.ca. In a video conversation with Senators D Mark Borowiecki posted to the team's social media after 10:00pm ET last night, Melnyk "went out of his way to alleviate any fears of the team moving to a new city." Prior to last December's outdoor Canadiens-Senators game, Melnyk "ruffled some feathers by openly musing about relocating the franchise if ticket sales didn't improve." Melnyk yesterday said, "I'm going to stick around here for a long, long time. I'm not going anywhere. And number two, the franchise isn't going anywhere. That's like totally solid. So everyone can get rid of the noise." Mendes notes for the first time since he "spoke to season-ticket holders during town hall meetings in April," Melnyk also "shed some light onto the organization's line of thinking" heading into the '18-19 season. Melnyk went into "greater detail about the youth movement," suggesting nearly two-thirds of the roster could be "comprised of fresh, young faces" by the time the '19-20 season begins. Melnyk was "not shy about using the term 'rebuild' -- dropping it into the conversation on multiple occasions in the video." Considering Melnyk and Senators GM Pierre Dorion have "not granted interviews about the direction of the team" for several months, it was a "curious decision to allow Borowiecki to be the one to guide the conversation" (TSN.ca, 9/11).
