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I have so many topics to hit on in this blog so bear with me! Between family, holidays, work, and life in general, I apologize for not being on here as much lately but life is now calming down as they say. Naturally, I want to have a quick opinion on the Sens/Leafs game from Saturday night. First off, Matt Murray was one of the few players who actually brought it and fought hard compared to so many other listless efforts from players on this Sens roster. His last start was Nov. 24th and between his last NHL start, he has played in only 2 AHL games over the last 5 weeks. Murray played hard, competed, and actually showed he didn't want to be sent back to down Belleville, which is more than I can say for 3/4 of the Sens roster. He got no support from his teammates when it counted most. How many times do Sens fans need to watch this team waiting for them to register their first shot on goal in a game?! Game # 29 and it took over 15 minutes before Ottawa got their first shot on goal. This is a regular occurrence by this Sens team under the direction of DJ Smith, which has become far too common over the last two and a half years with this first-time head coach leading this team.
When the opposition scores first, the Sens are 3-15 in those games this season. That's a very telling stat when it comes to the intensity level of this group. In 10 of those games this season, Ottawa has allowed the first goal within the first 4 minutes of the game! If you take it a step further, in half of those games the Sens gave up the opening goal in the first 2 minutes! How does a team come out of the gate so uninspired over and over?! It doesn't matter what starting lineup this coaching staff starts the game with because it's very clear that DJ and his staff clearly don't have this team ready to play on far too many nights. Or better yet, the one question fans should ask is, the way this roster is so inconsistent, are the players trying to tell management that they don't believe in this coaching staff?
I hear from many fans on Twitter or in my IM box at hockeybuzz, sometimes in the comment section of the blog as well and the overwhelming thought is, DJ Smith is clearly not capable of leading this young team any further along. Over two-plus seasons now, there are far too many habits that keep happening with this young group and at some point owner Eugene Melnyk needs to pull the plug on this entire coaching staff. We all know it won't be Sens GM Pierre Dorion that does it, both DJ and PD are now held accountable by Senior VP Pierre McGuire as Eugene was tired of seeing these two mismanage many aspects of this current team.
If you look back to DJ's first season as head coach, the pattern of treating young prospects poorly and having a double standard with his veterans continues to game #29 of this season! It seemed that a different young player was always in his doghouse but never any veteran until the Matt Murray fiasco happened in November. Colin White came into camp last year in the best shape of his hockey career but was a healthy scratch to the season in favour of aging veterans. Last year there were no expectations for Ottawa as they looked to continue the rebuild. Instead, White was jerked around by DJ and even when he eventually got into the lineup, DJ put even more pressure on him saying he needs to take care of the puck and play a 200-foot game. When Smith could've said, we need to get White valuable minutes in all situations so he can gain experience for when this team is ready to compete for a playoff spot. Naturally any mistake White made, DJ nailed him to the bench when it was time to let these younger players gain the valuable experience of increased playing time so they could be better prepared when this team competed for a playoff spot. The same happened with Logan Brown, Brown wasn't even added to the taxi squad last year when the season began. He had to sit for weeks waiting for the AHL season to start when he could've been with the big club practicing at the NHL level getting those much-needed reps as DJ has stated with JBD this season! Erik Brannstrom has had a similar experience with DJ, Erik has never been given the benefit of the doubt when a mistake was made. He has been in the AHL more than the NHL during his time in Ottawa, the player that Dorion deemed one of the most important pieces to the Sens rebuild. Well, Pierre maybe convey that message to your head coach!
If you go further back, Christian Wolanin could never do anything correct under DJ. I was told he was always in Smith's doghouse and that once Smith had an opinion of him, you could never change the narrative with him. Wolanin got 40 games of NHL experience playing under Guy Boucher. Does anyone recall when a North Dakota reporter went on a podcast stating how the Sens had mismanaged Wolanin with some details about the situation? At the time, I was pretty sure Wolanin told this reporter something off the record about DJ but he went on the record about it. How many other players have stories about DJ?! I was told a few more but asked not to go on record with them. So instead, I will let you draw your own conclusions if you look at these players.
Max Lajoie got 56 games under Boucher, then 6 games under DJ the following season. Christian Jarros 61 games under Boucher, then 13 games under DJ! See a pattern?! What young defensemen with little NHL experience has he trusted or developed? Instead, players like Ron Hainsey and Nikita Zaitsev got endless TOI and games under Smith when he arrived as coach, his boys from his time in Toronto because he trusted them. I was told Eugene has little patience left with DJ these days, which is why McGuire is watching closely for the owner. Does anyone else remember Abramov and Davidsson?! Dorion told Sens fans they would be key pieces in the future as the Sens continued to rebuild the roster when they were acquired for Matt Duchene, they played only a few NHL games on the 4th line and both are now playing hockey in Europe. This team has traded too many major names with little to show for them while under the guidance of Smith. Many close to Curtis Lazar say it was Dorion who mismanaged that asset.(great blog topic for discussion in the off-season) I know many fans will say that DJ is given the players he has from Dorion and I truly believe that both DJ and Dorion should be on a very short leash. Dorion has failed just as much as GM as DJ has in his coaching position.
It scares me to think what DJ will do long term with Lassi Thomson, JBD, and Jake Sanderson when he arrives at the end of the season. Far too many young defensemen were developed properly at the AHL level, only to arrive at the NHL under DJ and they never come close to attaining the ceiling that was projected by management when they were drafted or traded for.
With 53 games left in the season, a new coaching staff wouldn't waste this valuable time for development with the youth both currently on the team and other players in the AHL that have seen some NHL action. These young players need to play in key situations without feeling that a single mistake will land them on the bench or back in the AHL. How will they be ready for next year if not given some rope by the coaching staff? There are no expectations for this team now moving forward. Management needs to build toward having a roster ready to start to compete for a playoff spot next season. Now is the time to wipe out this coaching staff so no more young assets are mismanaged any further. Better yet, relieve the GM of his duties as well and let Pierre McGuire slide into the GM's chair! More to come on that.