Ottawa Senators fans have been a nervous bunch over the past 18 months. They watched two captains walk out the door in consecutive summers, leaving many with the distinct impression that Ottawa was not the preferred destination for star players. And if you trace the line back beyond Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza - and connect the dots to Dany Heatley, Zdeno Chara and Alexei Yashin -- you could certainly understand why Senators fans may have an inferiority complex. So when the Bobby Ryan contract negotiations seemed to cool off last month, it was met with a collective, Uh-oh -- here we go again, by Senators fans. And in the absence of any tangible news, the rumours started to churn about how another star player was orchestrating his exit out of town. Ryan doesnt like it in Ottawa. He doesnt like the head coach. He wants to kill penalties. He wants to play in Philadelphia. Eugene Melnyk wont open his wallet. Everybody had a theory as to why Ryan wanted to take a wait-and-see approach to his commitment to Ottawa. And suddenly on Thursday morning, all of that changed with word that Ryan had agreed to a seven-year contract extension worth $50.75 million. He is truly the type of player we want to build our team around, Melnyk said in front of a packed news conference. The negotiations for a contract of this magnitude are never simple and the owner acknowledged that at the podium. If there was any hesitation from Ryan, it was never about the city and its fanbase. Calling the decision to stay in Ottawa a no-brainer, Ryan was quick to point out that the city has embraced him and his fiancee, Danielle from the moment his trade to Ottawa happened last July. We feel like we have found the place we can start a family and call home, Ryan said on Thursday morning - as if he was directly addressing those fragile fans in Ottawa who felt like their city wasnt a preferred destination for stars. General manager Bryan Murray is well aware of the reputation that stars dont want to stay in Ottawa and he says the organization has made a concerted effort to dispel that notion with their moves over the past couple of months. For the fans as well, we want to indicate to them that players want to be in Ottawa, Murray said on Thursday. All along, thats been our intent. With Turris, MacArthur and now Bobby Ryan and were trying to get something done with Marc Methot to show that this is a secure team and we just have to add to it going forward. And hopefully that happens fairly quickly for everybodys sake. Murray confirmed that another contract offer has been made to Methots camp, but they are waiting to hear back. Moments after announcing the Ryan extension, Melnyk stepped back up to the podium to announce that Erik Karlsson was named as the ninth captain in franchise history. This move seems to cement Karlssons status in Ottawa. The club could have easily chosen Chris Phillips as the captain, which would have been warmly received in this market. Instead, they opted to make Karlsson the face of the franchise moving forward. Theyve handed him the keys and in turn, hes promising to deliver. Its an incredible opportunity and its a task that is pretty rare, said Karlsson, who admitted that he had a 40-minute phone conversation with former captain Daniel Alfredsson on Thursday. Im excited about the next chapter and moving forward and taking responsibility for what is to come. Im really looking forward to the upcoming season and beyond that, so Im just really thrilled right now. On one day, the Senators made two superstars happy - but more importantly, they gave a single fanbase the ability to take a collective sigh of relief. Wholesale Air Max 2018 . 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Pierre last November, only to watch St. Pierre leave the UFC octagon with his welterweight title belt and a split-decision victory.John Stones insists captain Wayne Rooney remains a key player for England, despite currently being out of favour at Manchester United. Rooney has endured a difficult start to the new Premier League season and has been left on the substitutes bench for the previous three matches, having failed to score since the opening day success at Bournemouth. As well as his form, the 30-year-olds position in the England team has also been a major taking point following his spell as a midfielder under Roy Hodgson at Euro 2016. Rooney stressed on Tuesday he would play in any position decided by interim manager Gareth Southgate, even if that meant settling for place on the substitutes bench. Jamie Vardy, Jordan Henderson, Wayne Rooney, Dele Alli and Theo Walcott in training at St Georges Park ahead of Englands match against Malta But when asked whether he felt Rooney was still a big player for England, Stones said: Definitely. He has been throughout the years. Every player goes through up and down patches. Waynes always fully focused when he comes here and is a key player, as is everyone in my eyes.Stones added: I dont think you get the 115 plus caps that hes got [if youre not important]. Hes an experienced player that knows the game inside out and theres not only him, I could fire off a good few names. Stones has credited the senior England players for helping the younger players in the squad They [the experienced players] are massive for me and the rest of the young boys coming through, giving us pointers in game situations and when things are not going so well. Theyve been there and been through those experiences before, its kind of new for us in some respects. They are massive to the group and its great that we get along, no matter what age you are, club you play for or if youre a new player to the squad, everyone seems to gel in quite quickly which is great.dddddddddddd Weve got a great team spirit about us. Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just ￡6.99. No contract. England face Malta on Saturday at Wembley in their first fixture since the departure of Sam Allardyce last week and the subsequent appointment of Southgate.Stones, who featured under Southgate for the U21s, was full of praise for the 46-year-old and revealed the lengths in which he goes to ensure every player feels settled in the squad. Meal times, down times, he is always making time to spend a few minutes to see how you are, how you are doing at your club and what he expects of you here, Stones said. I think we all know what we expect from each other, but its good to have a one-to-one conversation with the manager, see what his thoughts are and see how we are moving forward. Stones also gave his backing to England interim manager Gareth Southgate Hes always been around the place, coming into our dressing room seeing all the senior boys. Its all familiar faces and it is good to come in and feel relaxed in your environment, knowing how he works. He knows us having come to many Premier League games, I am sure. Its been a good few days and all the boys are getting on, were really enjoying it. You can watch Englands tour of Bangladesh, plus Premier League football and the Japan Grand Prix on Sky Sports. Upgrade now and enjoy three months at half price! Also See: Rooney: Ill play where picked FA to delay manager search Rashford will be a superstar WATCH: Rashford rejoins U21s. ' ' '