Turris on contract negotiation with Sens: Melnyk didn't want to sign me

Things continue to go from bad to worse for the nose-diving Ottawa Senators, as former Sens pivot Kyle Turris is casting some negative light on the club's ownership.

Turris was dealt to the Nashville Predators in November in a three-way deal that saw Ottawa acquire highly sought-after sniper Matt Duchene. And as Turris sees it, the reason he's now rocking yellow and blue instead of his more familiar black and red is Senators owner Eugene Melnyk.

"It’s tough because I think management did want to sign me, but I think that the owner didn’t. And that was his decision," Turris said Wednesday, according to Josh Clipperton of The Canadian Press.

To this point, the trade is looking fairly one-sided in the Predators' favor, as Turris is gelling nicely in Nashville on a line with Craig Smith and Kevin Fiala, notching 13 points in 14 games. Meanwhile, Duchene has struggled to fit in with his new club, registering two goals and two assists for an Ottawa team that has one win in its last 10 games.

Turris' comments provide a bit of clarity to a messy contract situation that Senators fans are probably wishing played out a lot differently, as Ottawa has gone 3-10-2 since acquiring Duchene.