All imo,
Hellberg should have been given a bigger chance to show what he can do. Too late now,. The current goalies are not that good.
Chabot just looks bad out there . So many ugly gaffes.
Girouix , by default of a bad team is looking good. But thankfully he is here today.
Stutzle is still overwhelmed by nhl play. In retrospect a year in b ville would have helped him and made no difference to the team trajectory.

Pinto is a gamer,keeper.

All imo,
Hellberg should have been given a bigger chance to show what he can do. Too late now,. The current goalies are not that good.
Chabot just looks bad out there . So many ugly gaffes.
Girouix , by default of a bad team is looking good. But thankfully he is here today.
Stutzle is still overwhelmed by nhl play. In retrospect a year in b ville would have helped him and made no difference to the team trajectory.

Pinto is a gamer,keeper.
- spazzbot

Don't forget Stutzle is playing the #1 centre. He would be so much better positioned if he could play #2, or even on the wing.

It makes a difference when you get the other team's top Dman lining up against you every shift.

Interesting how much Pinto thrives on the 3rd line match ups and a few shifts on the power play. I think Pinto is older than Stutzle.

How many times over the years have I seen an attacking forward on the PP wire the puck only to miss the net after which the defending team catches the attackers off guard and ends up with a break and goes down and scores. The announcers always say the same thing - "If you're going to shoot the puck in that situation you better make sure you hit the net."

Chabot is caught off guard as anyone would be and has two choices - take the man down or let him go in all alone on a break. I say take the man down. By the way Chabot had played 32 minutes at that point and had not been on the ice for any of the goals against.

Once you have the penalty to kill every coach in the world all the way down to bantam puts out their two best face off guys in case one gets waved out with the third guy being a top defender; but not this coach. This coach is too clever for that. How many face offs has Motte taken in his entire career?

Pinto decided to hot dog it in front of his friends and family and blasted that puck wide of the net and caused Chabot to have no choice but to take the penalty and Smith decided to rewrite the hockey books on how to defend a 4 on 3 with 45 seconds left in overtime.
- Whatisavailable

I don’t really know what to tell you. It’s been more than just the penalty he took in OT which I still have no idea how one justifies. It’s been a season long issue. If this is the level of Chabot’s play for the foreseeable future, this team will have a very hard time succeeding. You cannot have your franchise d-man getting paid 8 million per season playing like a 4/5 d-man. He’s regressed this season any way you slice it. I don’t discount the coaching effect but there also has to be some accountability on the player as well. He’s made some mind-boggling on ice decisions this season. Zub has been this teams most reliable d-man and Sanderson is starting to show that he might be the best powerplay option on the backend.

The coaching decision in OT to not put out one of your best faceoff guys is 100% on DJ and I think it’s time to fire him. He has players running around with zero confidence.

Now the geniuses on the post game are saying that the reason DeBrincat isn't scoring is because the team is not setting him up properly.
- Whatisavailable

Jamie Baker was on for the pre-game, so I assume it was Baker and who else on the post game? The talking heads on there are some of the worst Sens apologists.

I thought it was a great game. Sens played well. Devils are a nice team.

Loved Timmy and Brady shouting at one another with Giroux looking on like a frustrated baby sitter.

Maybe we have another year to go before it all comes together.

If they play like that for the rest of the year, we should be happy.
- spatso

Your kidding right?! Giving up over 40SOG on the road again....they were running around in their own end far too much. Check the analytics for time of possession in the offensive zone....they didn't sustain anything 5 on 5 on the forecheck. They only consistent zone time they had was on the PP and they cant even finish one of those! You sound like DJ, oh we should get rewarded for our effort....frigue man, this is pro sports.....this team isn't getting results and nobody should be happy with no results. Ask any player on the team if what you just wrote makes sense in their world? 100% of them would tell you, you are off your rocker man. If they play like this the rest of the year, players will be traded, coach and GM will be fired.....nobody in the org will think that your thinking is acceptable. GM and Coach all said they need to be challenging for a playoff spot in March. Heck Ian Mendes said it best, if they are out of it at Christmas, Ottawa will be the new Buffalo as they were in that boat for the last 10 years.......

Jason York said it best, no team giving up that many SOG and high danger chances will ever break .500 in the regular season. This team is going backwards when it comes to team play.

Saw this posted on Twitter by a former player. Makes so much sense.

Some more food for thought for the DJ apologists; A good coach has a solid system to employ. A great coach has a few solid, effective systems to employ. An elite coach develops systems that work with their assets, and gets the most out of everyone. What type of coach is DJ?

I don’t really know what to tell you. It’s been more than just the penalty he took in OT which I still have no idea how one justifies. It’s been a season long issue. If this is the level of Chabot’s play for the foreseeable future, this team will have a very hard time succeeding. You cannot have your franchise d-man getting paid 8 million per season playing like a 4/5 d-man. He’s regressed this season any way you slice it. I don’t discount the coaching effect but there also has to be some accountability on the player as well. He’s made some mind-boggling on ice decisions this season. Zub has been this teams most reliable d-man and Sanderson is starting to show that he might be the best powerplay option on the backend.

The coaching decision in OT to not put out one of your best faceoff guys is 100% on DJ and I think it’s time to fire him. He has players running around with zero confidence.
- Gord_Wilson_2.0

Let me repeat it for you.

How many times over the years have I seen an attacking forward on the PP wire the puck only to miss the net after which the defending team catches the attackers off guard and ends up with a break and goes down and scores. The announcers always say the same thing - "If you're going to shoot the puck in that situation you better make sure you hit the net."
Pinto decided to hot dog it in front of his friends and family and blasted that puck wide of the net and caused Chabot, who had played 32 minutes at that point, to have no choice but to take the penalty or let the man go in alone on a break.
When Pinto took that shot Chabot had started to move in from the point to create more of a threat and clearly did not expect Pinto to play the cowboy. Any D in the league would have done the same thing.

Chabot has been ridiculously overplayed alongside partners like Zaitsev by this coach and has adapted to this by playing low energy hockey. Anyone would. Many have noticed the lack of structure in the D zone which also drains energy away from D players and the forwards have not helped much in the past.

As far as mind boggling decisions and gaffes go I have been far more irritated by Tkachuk, Stutzle and Norris in the games he played and they are all 8 million dollar guys or soon will be. Tkachuk is the friggin captain. At least Stutzle works hard to help out in the D zone whereas Tkachuk is completely clueless. I can't wait to hear your rational for extending DeBrincat at 9+ million.

You could give Smith 6 Norris Trophy candidates to work with and he'd still screw it up and there is no reason why this forward group gets so badly outplayed sometimes and other times sometimes dominates a game. The Sens need an NHL coach but the pickings are slim after the summer of Dorion.

Like I said the talking heads echo chamber creates a lynch mob and there's no way to reason with them.

Pinto is a smart player and has a great shot
So he missed a net don’t blame him for Chabot taking a stupid penalty 🤦‍♂️

Chabot needs to go get the puck along board not just stand still and wait for the puck to get to him by then players are all over him STOP BEING SO LAZY and don’t say cause he’s tired he always does it even at start of games 🤬

DJ needs to go my god what are you doing putting them 3 out with 40 seconds left
In your own end you need to put out a face off guy send this clown back to Jrs already fk me🤦‍♂️

Sanderson needs to split time with Chabot
Plain n simple
they need to have a players only meeting and start chewing out players to pick up their poop

Finally Goalies are OK at best once again 😑
So our D and forwards needs to have their back
Sanderson is playing so good man can’t wait for Zub to come back 🤞

Pinto is a smart player and has a great shot
So he missed a net don’t blame him for Chabot taking a stupid penalty 🤦‍♂️

Chabot needs to go get the puck along board not just stand still and wait for the puck to get to him by then players are all over him STOP BEING SO LAZY and don’t say cause he’s tired he always does it even at start of games 🤬

DJ needs to go my god what are you doing putting them 3 out with 40 seconds left
In your own end you need to put out a face off guy send this clown back to Jrs already fk me🤦‍♂️

Sanderson needs to split time with Chabot
Plain n simple
they need to have a players only meeting and start chewing out players to pick up their poop

Finally Goalies are OK at best once again 😑
So our D and forwards needs to have their back
Sanderson is playing so good man can’t wait for Zub to come back 🤞
- sens4life1971

I really like Pinto but that was a really stupid shot with Chabot moving in from the point to create more of a threat and giving Pinto another passing option. That puck came whipping out of the zone and Chabot was forced to turn and try and catch a fast forward who was at an advantage. 100% on Pinto for hot dogging it for his friends and family.

Let me repeat it for you.

How many times over the years have I seen an attacking forward on the PP wire the puck only to miss the net after which the defending team catches the attackers off guard and ends up with a break and goes down and scores. The announcers always say the same thing - "If you're going to shoot the puck in that situation you better make sure you hit the net."
Pinto decided to hot dog it in front of his friends and family and blasted that puck wide of the net and caused Chabot, who had played 32 minutes at that point, to have no choice but to take the penalty or let the man go in alone on a break.
When Pinto took that shot Chabot had started to move in from the point to create more of a threat and clearly did not expect Pinto to play the cowboy. Any D in the league would have done the same thing.

Chabot has been ridiculously overplayed alongside partners like Zaitsev by this coach and has adapted to this by playing low energy hockey. Anyone would. Many have noticed the lack of structure in the D zone which also drains energy away from D players and the forwards have not helped much in the past.

As far as mind boggling decisions and gaffes go I have been far more irritated by Tkachuk, Stutzle and Norris in the games he played and they are all 8 million dollar guys or soon will be. Tkachuk is the friggin captain. At least Stutzle works hard to help out in the D zone whereas Tkachuk is completely clueless. I can't wait to hear your rational for extending DeBrincat at 9+ million.

You could give Smith 6 Norris Trophy candidates to work with and he'd still screw it up and there is no reason why this forward group gets so badly outplayed sometimes and other times sometimes dominates a game. The Sens need an NHL coach but the pickings are slim after the summer of Dorion.

Like I said the talking heads echo chamber creates a lynch mob and there's no way to reason with them.
- Whatisavailable

Respectfully, I don’t know if you’re Chabot’s family or something, but I am not sure why you cannot admit he isn’t playing well or at least as well as he has played in the past. I’ve personally never been a huge fan of Chabot as a franchise d-man, but he has played better in every other season as a Senator.

I agree that coaching decisions have not helped his game. I don’t really buy the “too much ice” time angle but he’s been served a rough hand more often than not. I’m well documented here that DJ and co is a problem.

The forward group is the only reason this team is competitive in any games. I find it hard to place blame on them to distract from the shoddy defence.

Yes. Debrincat should be scoring more. I don’t think you’d find anyone to argue that. He’s also close to a point per game pace without scoring which shows he’s actually a little more well-rounded offensively than just a pure sniper. This is not a terrible thing. No, I don’t think he’s a $9 million player right now. If the flood gates open for him, that’s another conversation.

Brady has 16 points in 13 games is a physical presence. He’s worth every penny of the contract so far.

Stu is still developing and has the Spezza vibe. You’re gonna have to deal with some tough plays/giveaways for some star quality offensive moments that other players can’t do. Not dissimilar to many players his style. The contract is not dissimilar to the contract Chabot received. You’re paying for potential.

Giroux is an A+ signing and coaching more than the coaching staff. He’s worth every penny so far.

Norris is injured, but yes, that contract is annoying as a result.

Pinto is having a Calder year and scored 2 goals last night. Really hard to rag on him. He’s had a great year. I didn’t see hot dogging in OT. I just saw a guy picking his shot and missed the net. I guess Debrincat was hotdogging as he also missed the net in similar fashion in OT.

Again, this group is the only reason the team is close to competitive in this losing streak. Of course, it would be nice to have them bail the team out to ultimately win games, but it would also be nice if the defence prevented quality chances.

I truly do hope Chabot improves his game over the course of the year one way or another. Whether it’s a solidified partner or he just gets in a great groove like he has in the past. Either way, it needs to happen in order for this team to be successful.

Respectfully, I don’t know if you’re Chabot’s family or something, but I am not sure why you cannot admit he isn’t playing well or at least as well as he has played in the past. I’ve personally never been a huge fan of Chabot as a franchise d-man, but he has played better in every other season as a Senator.

I agree that coaching decisions have not helped his game. I don’t really buy the “too much ice” time angle but he’s been served a rough hand more often than not. I’m well documented here that DJ and co is a problem.

The forward group is the only reason this team is competitive in any games. I find it hard to place blame on them to distract from the shoddy defence.

Yes. Debrincat should be scoring more. I don’t think you’d find anyone to argue that. He’s also close to a point per game pace without scoring which shows he’s actually a little more well-rounded offensively than just a pure sniper. This is not a terrible thing. No, I don’t think he’s a $9 million player right now. If the flood gates open for him, that’s another conversation.

Brady has 16 points in 13 games is a physical presence. He’s worth every penny of the contract so far.

Stu is still developing and has the Spezza vibe. You’re gonna have to deal with some tough plays/giveaways for some star quality offensive moments that other players can’t do. Not dissimilar to many players his style. The contract is not dissimilar to the contract Chabot received. You’re paying for potential.

Giroux is an A+ signing and coaching more than the coaching staff. He’s worth every penny so far.

Norris is injured, but yes, that contract is annoying as a result.

Pinto is having a Calder year and scored 2 goals last night. Really hard to rag on him. He’s had a great year. I didn’t see hot dogging in OT. I just saw a guy picking his shot and missed the net. I guess Debrincat was hotdogging as he also missed the net in similar fashion in OT.

Again, this group is the only reason the team is close to competitive in this losing streak. Of course, it would be nice to have them bail the team out to ultimately win games, but it would also be nice if the defence prevented quality chances.

I truly do hope Chabot improves his game over the course of the year one way or another. Whether it’s a solidified partner or he just gets in a great groove like he has in the past. Either way, it needs to happen in order for this team to be successful.
- Gord_Wilson_2.0

Other people on this site and elsewhere have pointed out that there are teams who don't have a D core any better than Ottawa but you don't see them running around like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off.

This team has a reasonably talented forward group and yet quite often is completely incapable of sustaining any 5 on 5 O zone pressure at all, sometimes for whole games at a time. Most of their goals have come off the rush. This just doesn't make any sense. I'm not smart enough to figure it out but a real NHL coach probably could.

By the way I'm not ragging on Pinto. I think he's great. He made a mistake. That was just a stupid shot to take.

Brady is great when he's on but he plays a style of game that's impossible to sustain and he makes no effort whatever defensively. I've said in the past he needs to work on his edges so that he can round out as a player and be effective without so much banging. He'll last longer.

Stutzle needs to accept the fact that he's not Connor McDavid and not hang on to the puck so much trying to do it all himself. When he uses his team mates he is really really good.

I hope DeBrincat scores a bunch so there might be a chance to recoup his acquisition price at the deadline. He had a good game against Vancouver.

Can't believe the Norris injury. A bunch of people were calling for a bridge deal because of his injuries. What are you going to do? Sh_t happens.

Lastly I think I made it clear that because of the way he's been played for years now Chabot has adopted a low energy game which is too bad because he can be so much better. Hopefully the emergence of Sanderson and JBD who is looking good and the return of Zub will bring back the level of play Chabot is capable of. Even so I think he is very unfairly being singled out as one of the root causes of the team's poor performance when the reality is that he's just not able to fix the mess that Smith has created. That's not the kind of thing any player can fix.

Chafes my butt watching John Marino play for NJ last night. Perfect, affordable RD that the Sens could have had this summer

Everyone still talking about Chychrun. Sens are better off getting rid of DJ first, then addressing the D defects. Because there are a lot of good RD UFAs this summer. And clearly we are not going to be playing meaningful games in the spring.

Chafes my butt watching John Marino play for NJ last night. Perfect, affordable RD that the Sens could have had this summer

Everyone still talking about Chychrun. Sens are better off getting rid of DJ first, then addressing the D defects. Because there are a lot of good RD UFAs this summer. And clearly we are not going to be playing meaningful games in the spring.
- GrimmdaGoalie

Yeah I hear Artem Zub will be available.

I really like Pinto but that was a really stupid shot with Chabot moving in from the point to create more of a threat and giving Pinto another passing option. That puck came whipping out of the zone and Chabot was forced to turn and try and catch a fast forward who was at an advantage. 100% on Pinto for hot dogging it for his friends and family.
- Whatisavailable

He didn't have a clear open pass lane to his left, and yes he missed the net but he's hit it more than any other Sen, and he already had 2 goals and a break. Any teammate on any team would have endorsed him taking that shot to notch the hat, and while it sucks it turned out the way it did, I don't think it's 'hot dogging' - some shots just don't go your way. Chabot's game has been off so far, but the way he plays he needs more sheltered minutes and more importantly, a competent RHD who doesn't always pinch, of which we have only one who is injured. JBD might be a stabilizer there, but I'd prefer seeing him playing with Sanderson long term. Since Philips retired this team has consistently undervalued it's defensive D-men (Methot, Demelo, Boro) - if they don't lock down Zub the writing is on the wall for everyone. I do worry and wonder what leeway Dorion has to sign longer contracts with the impending sale.

Other people on this site and elsewhere have pointed out that there are teams who don't have a D core any better than Ottawa but you don't see them running around like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off.

This team has a reasonably talented forward group and yet quite often is completely incapable of sustaining any 5 on 5 O zone pressure at all, sometimes for whole games at a time. Most of their goals have come off the rush. This just doesn't make any sense. I'm not smart enough to figure it out but a real NHL coach probably could.

By the way I'm not ragging on Pinto. I think he's great. He made a mistake. That was just a stupid shot to take.

Brady is great when he's on but he plays a style of game that's impossible to sustain and he makes no effort whatever defensively. I've said in the past he needs to work on his edges so that he can round out as a player and be effective without so much banging. He'll last longer.

Stutzle needs to accept the fact that he's not Connor McDavid and not hang on to the puck so much trying to do it all himself. When he uses his team mates he is really really good.

I hope DeBrincat scores a bunch so there might be a chance to recoup his acquisition price at the deadline. He had a good game against Vancouver.

Can't believe the Norris injury. A bunch of people were calling for a bridge deal because of his injuries. What are you going to do? Sh_t happens.

Lastly I think I made it clear that because of the way he's been played for years now Chabot has adopted a low energy game which is too bad because he can be so much better. Hopefully the emergence of Sanderson and JBD who is looking good and the return of Zub will bring back the level of play Chabot is capable of. Even so I think he is very unfairly being singled out as one of the root causes of the team's poor performance when the reality is that he's just not able to fix the mess that Smith has created. That's not the kind of thing any player can fix.
- Whatisavailable

Fair post!

I think we can agree the coaching is not working with this current group. DJ and co don’t have a clue. The overtime in Jersey was sort of a last straw for me. The timeout before the powerplay, Giroux was doing most of the talking and directing while the coaching staff was working on coloring books with no one paying attention it seemed. Then, the decision to not put out any high-quality faceoff guy in the final 30 seconds or so of overtime, on a penalty kill was just idiocy.

Honestly, looking back at the losing streak, I am not sure how DJ and co have lasted this long into the losing streak. With the team expectations, the leash should have been incredibly short. Perhaps Dorion is doing some stuff behind closed doors to ensure things are ready when the hammer drops.

Great discussion, I wish I could reply to everyone. Just working on a piece now to post later tonight.

I got a buddy looking to unload his tics for next weeks game, they are in the 100 level and he is looking to get back half the price for the tickets. If you are interested, DM on Twitter or send a DM on hockeybuzz. 3 games next week! Monday, Wed. and Sat. at 1pm