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all changed jerseys on or just before Draft D
OTTAWA -- Eugene Melnyk expects to make the playoffs every year, and when his team misses out he plans to make sure it doesnt happen again. Trevon Wesco Jersey . The Ottawa Senators owner voiced his disappointment over the teams performance this season in a conference call with media Tuesday, and said changes could be coming. Melnyk said he and general manager Bryan Murray are "in the process of evaluating everything, our players, our prospects and our coaching staff." "Definitely not a wholesale change, we just need to show up more often," Melnyk added. "I think we need leadership. I think we need accountability from top to bottom and thats more of a mindset and it could also reflect the maturity of the team and as they mature, dont kid yourself, because I did some exit interviews and these are not happy campers." While there had been speculation that head coach Paul MacLean could be relieved of his duties, that doesnt appear to be the case. "I think its pretty certain, well I can assure you Pauls our coach," said Melnyk. "And hes going to be our coach going into next year, but were evaluating everything within the hockey operations, but as far as the leadership is concerned thats staying put." Thats not to say management was overly impressed with MacLeans performance this past season. "They should have done better," said Murray of the coaching staff. "Unless you win a championship I think you can say that about everybody. I think there were some stages in the year where maybe a different decision could have been made." On Monday MacLean admitted that he went into the season with the belief that he needed to be more demanding of his players, and Murray said it probably wasnt the wisest strategy. "My note to him today was the players like the old Paul," Murray said. "They like the guy that sat and talked to them, treated them in a more easy-going fashion, that taught, not confronted. "There were some mistakes made obviously. You dont go to some of your better players and confront them early in the year and expect change. The change is usually in the negative form. I think what Paul did two years leading up to this was a real strong indication of the type of coach he is. I think as you go through your career you learn lots of things and I think its a stage that hell be much better because of it." Murrays biggest decision in the off-season could be whether or not to move captain Jason Spezza. Spezza has one more year remaining on a contract that has a cap hit of US$7 million, but a salary of $4 million. Speculation of Spezza being traded surfaced at the trade deadline and one has to wonder if the Senators feel now is the time to make a significant change. "I think Jason understands what his role was and is," said Melnyk. "Hes a professional. He understands youre here today, could be gone tomorrow. "Its very dependent on what other pieces we have to put together and I think at the end of the day hes just one of 20 plus players that participated this year and we just didnt get it done. " Murray said Spezza was one of five players going into the final year of a contract and that all five, in addition to this years three unrestricted free agents, would be evaluated. "Im not sure why Jason is the single guy here being evaluated," Murray said. "Number one I guess maybe he wore the C and thats part of it, but we, I believe, have five guys going into their last year and decisions have to be made and they will be made at the right time." The Senators actually have six players entering the final year of their contract including Spezza. Bobby Ryan, Clarke MacArthur, Erik Condra, Marc Methot and Craig Anderson will all be looking for new contracts next season. At this point it seems Ryan could be the first to re-sign as both parties seem eager to come to terms on a new agreement. Milan Michalek, Ales Hemsky and Matt Kassian are all unrestricted free agents this season and it appears Michalek could be the only one returning. Murray said Kassian isnt in his plans and he didnt believe the Senators were in Kassians plans. As for Hemsky, it doesnt appear he will return. Michalek has expressed an interest in returning and its likely term and money will play a factor. The Senators have a number of young players who will be pushing for playing time and they want to ensure theres room. Murray said Mark Stone, who played 19 games this season and had eight points (4 goals, 4 assists), now looks like an NHL player and was impressed with Jean-Gabriel Pageaus play late in the season. He also mentioned that Curtis Lazar looks to be NHL ready and will be pushing for a roster spot as well as a few others who are currently playing in Binghamton. In addition, Murray said the Senators would like to find a tougher forward. The Senators have three restricted free agents, Mike Hoffman, Eric Gryba and Robin Lehner, that Murray will need to make decisions on. Lehner, 22, will likely be the priority, considering Anderson will be heading into the final year of his contract. "I still think to be a good team in the league you need two goaltenders," Murray said. "You need both that can win games for you. I think Robins very close (to being a number one goalie). I think if we gave him the stick and said go in the net and play every night I think he could win a lot of hockey games for us." Financially the Senators are in good shape, but they dont anticipate significantly increasing their salary structure. "Its very, very easy to increase payroll, any idiot can do it and a lot of idiots do and they overspend and they go to the cap and Ive done it twice and both times it didnt make an impact," Melnyk said. The Senators owner says he prefers to spend money on various resources that can be used in the development of players on the roster and in the minors. Notes: Much was made last Saturday when Kassian didnt dress for the game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but Murray said a decision had been made earlier in the day when a call between he and Toronto GM Dave Nonis took place. Nonis wanted to call up a young player, but was concerned that if Kassian was in the lineup things could get physical and so Murray assured Nonis he wouldnt play Kassian. Joe Namath Womens Jersey . Each day, TSN.ca provides the latest rumours, reports and speculation from around the NHL beat. Defensive Depth TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun is reporting the Toronto Maple Leafs have considerable interest in unrestricted free-agent defenceman Dan Boyle. Mark Gastineau Jets Jersey . For the Miami Heat, that was outstanding news. LeBron James scored the last of his 32 points on a layup that put Miami up for good with 11.Get ready to welcome the newest crop of NHL stars. TSN has you covered all day long as the 2013 NHL Draft unfolds live Sunday from Newark, New Jersey. Watch live coverage of the 2013 NHL Draft on TSN starting at 2:30pm et/11:30am pt. Follow the picks and player movement with TSN.cas live Draft Tracker, Trade Tracker and Mobile Push Alerts. Also get video updates all weekend from TSN Hockey Insiders Bob McKenzie, Darren Dreger and Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.com as well as live streaming of behind-the-scenes access with TSNs Cabbie. The Colorado Avalanche enter the day holding the first overall pick and have stated they have their eye on Halifax Mooseheads forward Nathan MacKinnon. Portland Winterhawks defenceman Seth Jones, Halifax Mooseheads forward Jonathan Drouin and Finnish forward Aleksander Barkov are also highly sought-after talents. Whether that prompts any movement at the top of the board will be a story worth monitoring. Two Canadian teams will pick in the top 10 as the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers hold the sixth and seventh overall picks, respectively. The Flames have three first-round picks and could use thee extra the assets to move up the board or bolster their roster via trade. C.J. Mosley Womens Jersey. Beyond the top prospects, there are many intriguing names to watch on Sunday, including Russian dynamo Valeri Nichushkin, defensive standout Darnell Nurse, Ottawa 67s pivot Sean Monahan and Londons Max Domi, son of former NHL enforcer Tie Domi. All seven of the NHLs Canadian clubs have first round picks on Sunday. The Winnipeg Jets and Ottawa Senators both hold top 20 selections, picking 13th and 17th, respectively. A cluster of Canadian teams will pick one after another as the Toronto Maple Leafs (21st) and Flames (22nd) go back-to-back shortly before the Vancouver Canucks (24th) and Montreal Canadiens (25th) are slated to do the same. The draft has also become a popular marketplace for NHL general managers to make big-time trades, as stars like Jordan Staal, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Nathan Horton have all changed jerseys on or just before Draft Day in recent years. Theres no telling what might unfold in Newark on Sunday. Tune in to TSN and TSN.ca for all the breaking news and picks as they happen. ' ' '
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Activity: Nov 21 '19
Activity: Nov 21 '19