Eugene Melnyk says 'nobody safe' after disappointing Senators season

Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk has publicly called out the entire organization after a disappointing season that will likely see the team miss the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.

Melnyk was at the Canadian Tire Centre for an announcement about the franchise's 25th anniversary. The Senators also practised Tuesday ahead of Tuesday's game against the Washington Capitals.

"There's nobody safe when you have a year like we just did. No way. The status quo will just get us [back here] next year," Melnyk said while speaking to reporters.

He also said everyone is "under the microscope".

"We're going to have to make changes for next year. I'm looking at all of it. It's right across the board," Melnyk said.

"This team cannot survive not making the playoffs. We have to do it by guts, we have to do it by hard work, and we can get there. That's what we need to do."

Melnyk also defended himself against accusations the team limits its spending on player salaries, even though the Senators are consistently among the bottom 10 spenders in the National Hockey League.

The Senators owner, clearly upset about the team's performance, went as far back as the team's home opener to criticize the decisions of head coach Dave Cameron.

Minutes later, Cameron tried to brush off the criticism and agreed this season did not go as he had hoped.