Last week, Senators owner Eugene Melnyk suggested there could be significant organizational changes in Ottawa, going so far as to say that “nobody is safe.”
Today, general manager Bryan Murray essentially said the same thing.
“After talking to Eugene, over a month ago now, we both kind of agreed we just kind of had to take a look at everything that was going on, from player development to on-ice product,” Murray told reporters, per the Ottawa Citizen.
“That process won’t take a long time, I don’t think. Part of the reason we’ve got everybody on the road this trip, and a couple of previous trips, is we’re just sitting around doing a lot of talking and a lot of evaluation of where we are (with) what players and what else has to happen here to make it better.”
The Sens will miss the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. And remember that they needed a miraculous late-season run just to qualify last year, before falling to Montreal in the first round.
Ottawa’s most glaring issues are defensive. They have the fourth-highest goals-against average (2.96) and the second-worst penalty kill (75.9%).
Obviously, that doesn’t reflect well on the coaching staff, led by Dave Cameron.
On the other hand, it was Cameron who took over last year and led the Sens on that miracle run. He ended up finishing sixth in the Jack Adams Award voting.
“We’ll go through the whole group: I’m part of it,” said Murray. “Did I do enough? What else can we do from a management side here to help the product on the ice?”