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Perhaps beating the Boston Bruins will bring more credibility of the organization — not only in the city but with the league. With the Canadian dollar struggling, the Senators are one of the teams that collects revenue sharing from the likes of the bigger markets in the league.

“Believe me, I go to these board of governors meetings, and there are the have nots and the haves,” Melnyk said. “Everybody knows who the haves are, and everybody knows who the have nots are. It’s kind of sad to be sitting there on the have not side where we get supplemented by the wealthier franchises.

“As much as we complain when we’re playing against those guys on the ice, I mean, they’re the ones that are underwriting the others. We’re right now in the same league with those with low attendance. It’s nice for us (to have success).”

Melnyk said he believes success in the post-season can help sell players — unrestricted free agents or maybe those asked to waive their “no move” clauses in trade talks — on coming to Ottawa and helping to make it a destination in the NHL.

“It brings credibility to our hockey operations if a guy becomes a UFA, he doesn’t want to go to a deadbeat team, it doesn’t matter how much you pay him,” said Melnyk. “He’s got seven years left in his career, maybe, and he’s thinking, ‘You know what? I want to go to an organization where the wind is at their sails and not against them’.

“In our case, people look at us and they say, ‘Hey, these guys are competitive. They’ve got these two kids coming — (Thomas) Chabot and (Colin) White — plus a couple of others coming down the pipeline’ and depending on the spending, we’re in good shape to get back into that swing. It swings like a pendulum. You’re going up, up, up, up, and like a rollercoaster you go down.