Report: Sens owner Melnyk meddling in Duchene negotiations

With two high profile pending unrestricted free agents in Matt Duchene and Mark Stone, Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion has his work cut out for him between now and July 1st. 

Should both Duchene and Stone elect to leave the team via free agency, the Sens will have effectively let their three best players, including former captain Erik Karlsson, walk away for little in return. Ouch.

The good news is that both Duchene and Stone are amenable to remaining in Ottawa and both players have reportedly begun negotiations with management on contract extensions. The bad news? Owner Eugene Melnyk is still calling the shots. Melnyk, of course, is notorious for being one of the stingiest owners in the NHL and it’s widely believed that his unwillingness to open up his wallet was one of the biggest reasons that the team traded Karlsson this past offseason. 

According to a report from NHL insider Darren Dreger of TSN, Melnyk has drawn a line in the sand for Duchene in negotiations and he’s unwilling to spend more than $8 million per season on a long term deal.

That’s probably not a smart way to negotiate… but then again this is Melnyk we’re talking about. The Sens owner is also being sued for his alleged mishandling of a proposed arena development plan in Ottawa’s LeBreton Flats area and it seems that controversy just has a way of following him around.

Here’s hoping that Melnyk either decides to negotiate in good faith or that the fans of this team finally get an owner in charge who is serious about paying for talent, because as things currently stand it’s looking pretty bleak for the Sens.