Trading Erik Karlsson isn’t the Ottawa Senators first controversial decision in the franchise’s 25+ year existence, but the level of fan revolt that came from that debacle — which spanned almost nine months — was unprecedented.
As writers who cover the team, this emotion made it into our work. There were numerous opinion pieces crafted, endless analysis of various rumours, and lumps in our throat as we watched the Senators, their fans, and larger community try to navigate this experience.
Hence, we decided to focus one of our reflections on the team’s first month on the question of fandom.