Columbus Blue Jackets' defenceman Mike Commodore's list of enemies appears to be growing.
Two days after he publicly ripped Red Wings' coach Mike Babcock, Commodore turned his attention to current Ottawa Senators' general manager Bryan Murray who brought him to Ottawa and briefly coached the blueliner last season.
In an interview with the Columbus Dispatch on Friday, the 29-year old Commodore sounded off on his brief tenure with the Senators.
"Bryan Murray said some things to the media that he shouldn't have," Commodore told the Dispatch. "I'd have a meeting with him and he'd end up saying things to the media that he wouldn't say to my face.
"I'm struggling, the team's struggling, and Bryan's telling the media that I'm a player with no hands and no ability. Then they'd come to me and I'd have to spin it somehow, or try to laugh it off."
The Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta native was acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes by the Sens prior to the trade deadline last season, along with Cory Stillman for defenceman Joe Corvo and forward Patrick Eaves.
The move was supposed to propel the Senators back into the Stanley Cup final, however Commodore struggled immensely in the Nation's capital, finishing with just two assists and a minus-9 rating in 25 games.
"I didn't play well. I was not a good player," Commodore said. "But when I go around the room and ask the other defensemen how we play in our own zone, and I get six different answers how am I supposed to fit in?
"I was excited when I first got there. I thought we were going to the (Stanley) Cup Finals. What they were trying to do, I had accomplished. And then they brought me in there during my unrestricted year and demoted me? That's more than a little tough to take."
Commodore is enjoying a career season in Columbus after signing a much scrutinized five-year, $18.75 million contract with the Jackets in the off-season. He has four goals and 17 assists while posting a plus-13 rating in 48 games while the Jackets battle for a playoff spot in the tight Western Conference. He originally had hoped to return to the Senators and expressed his desires to Murray in a closed door meeting.
"I was not a happy camper," Commodore told the Dispatch. "I aired it out. It was a great meeting. Things were better on a personal level. He asked if I wanted to come back and I said, 'Yes.' I told him I didn't want to slam that door.
"I said, 'Hire a coach and give me a call.' Well, I never got the call. And then I read in the newspapers that I think I'm worth more than I really am."
Commodore will have the opportunity to show Murray what he missed out on as the Blue Jackets will host the Senators tonight.
