What message was 'The Plan' actually sending to the Senators' fan base?

Murray Pam

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What message was 'The Plan' actually sending to the Senators' fan base? image

Training camp opens Thursday, but it's already been an interesting week for the Senators.

On Monday at 10:05 p.m., an informal chat between defenseman Mark Borowiecki and owner Eugene Melnyk discussing what’s become known as “The Plan” is posted to the Senators' Twitter account. 

On Tuesday, a letter to Senators fans and supporters is posted in local newspapers, in which Melnyk lays out what appears to be his vision for the team’s future, starting with expectations for next season. 

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And on Wednesday, Borowiecki addressed the media and discussed widespread criticism of the video, which missed its mark with a disgruntled fan base.

It is fair to say the timing of the video and letter seemed strange.

While business owners have the right to do as they please, Melnyk appears to be playing the role of GM. He spoke about the team's makeup, the locker room culture and divulged an actual number for how many youngsters will be in the lineup come October and next season (a number that has been scrutinized since).

The owner laying out plans for a rebuild lends to the air of undermining the actual GM. After all, Pierre Dorion was given full autonomy when handed a three-year extension late last season, and it should be his job to present the on-ice plan — not the owner.

Speaking of “The Plan,” did it change since the series of town halls in April?

MORE: Senators owner sends message to the fans in video and newspapers

The plan, which was widely discussed during those interactive talks with Senators season ticket holders, was put into writing by Melnyk shortly after.

“We see a future of a younger, faster and more competitive team," Melnyk wrote in April. "With two first-round picks, including the highest draft pick we’ve had in 17 years coming in June, and a number of younger players on the way to complement our current stars, there is a great core to build upon.”

Complementing “our current stars” doesn’t meet the organization’s fresh approach to a full-on rebuild — which Melnyk divulged as the new plan Monday evening.

The Senators owner also may have sent a cryptic message when he stated, “We need leadership that believes in the total team. It’s not about individuals anymore because you’re not going to win. It’s not about one player, two players, three players, you’re not going to win. You need the leadership, then you build under that with young prospects that are now coming through.”

This statement can be dissected in many ways.

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Does it refer to potential 2019 unrestricted free agents Matt Duchene, Erik Karlsson and Mark Stone as the three players?

Or does it just mean that Senators players have to develop an all-for-one, one-for-all attitude within the club’s dressing room?

It's an interesting thought considering that in the five-minute video, Melnyk stated 10 out of 22 players on the team roster will be made up of rookies or players that dressed in 10 career NHL games or less previously. Next season it'll be 15. Such turnover doesn't create a bonded team right off the bat.

Add in that this will be tough to accomplish with the players in the Senators system.

Sure, there's forwards Drake Batherson, Logan Brown, Filip Chlapik, Alex Formenton, Brady Tkachuk, Colin White. There are defensemen Andreas Englund, Christian Jaros, Christian Wolanin, and goaltender Filip Gustavsson. Yes, they will challenge for jobs, but the likelihood of more than five of these youngsters earning full-time spots in the upcoming campaign isn’t realistic.

MORE: SN's top 50 prospects | NHL farm system rankings

Besides, isn't that why you hire a GM and a head coach? To make those decisions?

The kids may be “happy as clams” to make the team as Melnyk said in the video; however, having players with untapped potential playing a few minutes at the NHL level is a developmental disaster waiting to happen. This is also precisely why former Senators Shean Donovan and Chris Kelly were hired, too.

The concept of a total rebuild at this juncture is a hard sell to fans and season ticket holders, and to the current players as well.

"I don’t know if I see 10 guys in the locker room that are going to be new guys," Duchene said Wednesday. "But I think we have a lot of guys from last season that are still here and our team hasn’t changed that much…Obviously, it’s above my head who’s going to be in our lineup come night one.

"When I look around the locker room and see the guys in there we have the majority of the guys returning. It’s not half the team is new. I’m not seeing that right now. We’d need 40 guys on the team if that was going to be the case."

Duchene, who famously asked to be traded from the Colorado Avalanche when they were going through a rebuild, could yield a decent return. So could 20-goal guy Stone and Karlsson, who is considered the best defenseman in the NHL.

But, trading them begs the organizational question, wouldn’t you rather build around your best players?

Murray Pam