Sens in turmoil a year after being on verge of Cup final

The Ottawa Senators are dealing with crisis after crisis at every level.

Former captain Daniel Alfredsson called for owner Eugene Melnyk to sell the team, assistant general manager Randy Lee is suspended pending his court date on a harassment charge, and 20-goal scorer Mike Hoffman was traded amid an off-ice dispute with captain Erik Karlsson, whose own future is uncertain.

Thirteen months ago, the Senators were a goal away from the Stanley Cup Final. Now they’re in turmoil.

“Through adversity we find people’s true character,” general manager Pierre Dorion said Thursday. “We find out who wants to be with you in a war in tough times. It’s great when people want to be around you when you’re a goal away from getting to the Stanley Cup Final, but we really find out about people’s true values and true character and real integrity when it’s difficult situations. All I can say is we at the Ottawa Senators, we have great people.”

As if Alfredsson’s pointed criticism wasn’t enough, Lee was charged with second-degree harassment after allegedly making lewd comments and rubbing the shoulders of a 19-year-old male hotel shuttle driver at the scouting combine. Add to that, Melinda Karlsson filed an order of protection alleging harassment and cyberbullying against Hoffman’s fiancee, Monika Caryk, for posting hundreds of derogatory online messages about her and her husband.

One of these crises would be enough to challenge an organization, let alone them piling up. Fans in Ottawa are unhappy with Melnyk, who mused about moving the team and infamously said he’s “not going to blow a lifetime of working hard on a hockey team.”

DALLAS - Ottawa general manager Pierre Dorion says the Senators had to trade forward Mike Hoffman because the team’s dressing room was “broken.” Dorion spoke to reporters a day before the NHL draft with the Senators reeling from several public relations disasters, including the alleged cyberbullying of captain Erik Karlsson’s wife by Hoffman’s fiancee. “Trading Mike Hoffman was something that we needed to do ... our dressing room was broken,” Dorion said Thursday.

“We have to have a dressing room that wants to win together. Key components for us moving forward are character, leadership, accountability, and we’re very happy with the return we got on Mike Hoffman.”