NERVOUS FANS WEIGH IN ON AN ICON’S UNCERTAIN FUTURE
How’s this for a dose of black hockey humour?
One Ottawa Senators fan, spotting a pair of other spectators wearing Erik Karlsson jerseys while waiting for an elevator Monday night, couldn’t resist.
“You should have bought them after the game,” he quipped. “I hear they’re going to be 50 per cent off.”
The joke was greeted with nervous laughter. Indeed, the elephant in the arena was what’s next for Karlsson, “a rock star” in the estimation of at least one other fan.
With seemingly 65 scenarios in the air surrounding the future of the Senators’ number 65, the Senators closed out the home portion of their dreadful 2017-18 season with an open question hanging over the franchise’s superstar.
Will the two-time Norris Trophy winner as the National Hockey League’s top defenceman stay or will he be gone before the puck drops at Canadian Tire Centre again in October?
As per usual, every third or fourth Senators jersey in the seats and in the concourse at Canadian Tire Centre sported his name.
As is custom, the announcement of Karlsson in the starting lineup drew ear-splitting applause. There was more love from the crowd when he assisted on Thomas Chabot’s first-period goal and Matt Duchene’s secondperiod goal against the Winnipeg Jets. At the same time, you could almost hear the anxiety that went along with the cheers.
“Yes, I definitely do feel awkward,” said Shari-Lynn Lawson, talking over a beer before the game with her husband, Bruce, pointing out that Karlsson’s presence in the community adds to his value. “It’s scary to think it could be his last game.”
If it was the end, how will he be remembered?
“Then he goes out like a rock star,” said Bruce Lawson. “He played in the playoffs (last year) with a broken ankle. It’s not just about losing a guy of his calibre on the ice. He’s a massive part of our identity as a team. If we’re ever going to come back to being a real strong, competitive team, you’ve got to have these guys.”
Lawson is concerned because of the history surrounding the previous departures of Daniel Alfredsson and Kyle Turris.
What happens next is anybody’s guess.
Karlsson has one year and $6.5 million remaining on his existing contract. Senators general manager Pierre Dorion has said the Senators will offer him a contract extension on July 1.
However, will Melnyk open up his wallet to pay Karlsson $80 million-$100 million on an eight-year extension to keep him here? If the cash doesn’t come here, Karlsson will receive $10 million-$12 million per season somewhere else.
Even if that contract is on the table — the Senators are also facing tricky summer negotiations with star forwards Mark Stone and Matt Duchene — will Karlsson, who turns 28 in May, buy into the planned retooling process that will be built around younger prospects? Moving to a big market team that spends to the NHL’s salary cap maximum could give Karlsson a faster track toward the ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup.
Should it become clear Karlsson isn’t coming back, Dorion will seek the best possible trade. That possibility will create a déjà-vu-all-over-again nightmare for the fans. They went through the full spectrum of emotions back in February, worried that the captain would be dealt away before the NHL’s trade deadline.
There is one other potential option: Karlsson could choose to play out the final season of his contract here, as New York Islanders star John Tavares has done this season. It’s a rare approach, however, because it leaves a team vulnerable to getting little or nothing in return for a star player because his contract is expiring.
Plenty of questions, to be sure. Interestingly, an #AskMelnyk billboard appeared near Bank and Riverdale on Monday, joining the controversial #MelnykOut billboards that sprang up around the city last month.
Melnyk will be asked about Karlsson’s future when he meets next week with season ticket holders in a pair of town hall meetings. Unfortunately, there won’t be any new information on that front.
As the Senators said goodbye for the year, there was one universal theme: Melnyk must treat fans with respect by spending enough to dress a competitive team.
There was some optimism that Karlsson wasn’t saying goodbye for good.
Adele Pilon and Danielle Seguin, both proudly wearing their 65 jerseys before the game, believe there’s no way Melnyk will allow Karlsson to skate away like Alfredsson did. Twice.
“They can afford him if they really want to,” said Pilon. “He’s the face of the franchise. He has done what Alfie did for so many years.”
Then came the counter-voice of Robert Steeves, wearing a Karlsson jersey with “Sens” across the front.
“I think he’s gone,” said Steeves. “There’s a lot of bad blood between him and Melnyk. But you never know. He’s our Bobby Orr.”
If we’re ever going to come back to being a real strong, competitive team, you’ve got to have these guys.