Ottawa Senators Owner Against All-Canadian Division

The NHL is reportedly working on a new alignment for next year as they try to start a fresh new season while the Covid-19 pandemic is ongoing. There's been several different scenarios discussed and one that appears to be sticking is an 'All-Canadian Division'. This would include, you guessed it, all the Canadian teams within one division but if it was up to Ottawa Senators' owner, Eugene Melnyk, he would have his team playing some elsewhere.

Melnyk, who recently commented on the idea via a Ontario based podcast, had this to say on the potential of re-alignment:

No. I'll tell you why, it's a hockey reason. This is not our year. I think we'll be competitive, but this is the year the Canadian teams are all better. Every one of them, including mine. But I'm still at the beginning of my rise up. Everybody else was good and they're getting better.

From a hockey point of view, it's exciting. We would be playing a lot of Montreal, Toronto, and Winnipeg. That's fine. We will play the other Canadian teams. That's fine. But from a pure hockey point of view it's a tough, tough, tough division. We don't get to play the weaker teams. They're all good.

Even with all the additions in Ottawa, it sounds like Melnyk isn't quite confident in his team's abilities just yet. The rest of the Canadian teams have playoff potential, meanwhile in Canada's capital, even with some fresh faces, it could be a struggle for the Sens.

Just ask their owner.