Brunette, if I owned the team.
- Octavarium

Andrew brunette? He is the head coach of Nashville

Norris is wildly overpaid, and that contract is gonna look worse and worse each year. Same with Chabot, who’s never posted a positive +/- rating in his eight seasons with the Sens. Though I do think Chabot has a bit more value than Norris

Maybe Giroux has a small amount of value to a contending team with cap space? Can’t see anyone giving much for Tarasenko

But yes, it’s time to start having these conversations if they haven’t already
- AxlRose91

Norris is in the lead for most goals in first 150 senators game. Beating out spezza, akfredson, yashin , hossa

Norris is in the lead for most goals in first 150 senators game. Beating out spezza, akfredson, yashin , hossa
- spazzbot

There was also an interesting discussion on one of the TSN podcasts about the potential benefit of playing Norris on the wing. Basically, they were saying it would allow him to continue to be aggressive up-front and find scoring areas, while also making room for Grieg/Pinto to given them a stronger defensive look down the middle. Personally, I'm all for having that kind of depth at C, because it allows them to maximize the value in players like Greig/Pinto, and then allow wingers like Norris, Giroux, and Joseph to step in at C when injuries arise.

You don't follow up a major coaching change by trading core players, without first seeing how they respond.
- khawk

This right here. I can't wait to see what the next 5 games will bring. I'm also a little concerned as to what'll happen when the coach gets changed again. I like Martin but can't really see him staying there long because, well, he's 71. I could be wrong though!

People expecting this team to completely turn it around are going to be disappointed. I think Martin is the perfect interm coach. Get them back to basics and build better habits. Gives good groundwork for the coach coming in next year.

The sad part is all this delay has likely cost them the playoffs this year.

On the other side, people thinking this team is going to get blown up are going to be disappointed as well. The only exception in my mind would be Chabot, as he’s got value and they’ve got too many LD.

There was also an interesting discussion on one of the TSN podcasts about the potential benefit of playing Norris on the wing. Basically, they were saying it would allow him to continue to be aggressive up-front and find scoring areas, while also making room for Grieg/Pinto to given them a stronger defensive look down the middle. Personally, I'm all for having that kind of depth at C, because it allows them to maximize the value in players like Greig/Pinto, and then allow wingers like Norris, Giroux, and Joseph to step in at C when injuries arise.
- khawk

You can never have too many centers!

People expecting this team to completely turn it around are going to be disappointed. I think Martin is the perfect interm coach. Get them back to basics and build better habits. Gives good groundwork for the coach coming in next year.

The sad part is all this delay has likely cost them the playoffs this year.

On the other side, people thinking this team is going to get blown up are going to be disappointed as well. The only exception in my mind would be Chabot, as he’s got value and they’ve got too many LD.
- CooCooKaChoo

it will take a couple of games to see changes, takes time for the players to learn the new system and implement it properly

I think it will be more along the lines of having 20 games under the belt with the coaching staff. It will take time for Jacques "attention to details" to get implemented. Too many bad habits to correct. But as someone said .... I could see Jacques spending some major time on Stutzle/Norris/Greig/Pinto/ Kastelik .... getting that group of centres more foccussed on defensive play.
As for someones comment on maybe trading Chabot .... I doubt we will see that move. I can see the new coaching staff coming up with ways to work around the issue of too many Left defence.
As for our goaltending .... better defence , better team defence and attention to details (limiting high danger chances) will solve a lot of our woes.

Hamonic really needs to just go away. A pilon disguised as a d-man. What a stupid play to have the go ahead goal bounce off his skate when he just should have left it to go past the net.

Well, Martin/Alfredsson certainly got a front-row seat to everything that the team does badly. Blown lead, mental fragility, no push-back, uncoordinated play... they'll definitely need more than an optional skate to get this team back on the rails.

It may be time to finally deal some dead weight on this team. A Hamonic buyout ... can't waiver wire him (NMC), and move McEwen to the AHL. How many times does Hamonic need to get into our own goalie's space?
Time is up for Brannstrom IMO, as well. Get what you can. Bring up Klevin and Guenette and give them some games to see what they can do. Can it be any worse then the Brannstrom/Hamonic pairing?

I would also look to sit Stutzle down for a game. It is time to slow his mind down, let him breathe. He is a mistake making machine out there. Trying to do too much ? But developing some horrendous bad habits.

On the bright side .... they gave up no power play goals. I thought Korpisalo was pretty good despite his team hanging him out to dry with too many high danger shots.

Hope it turns out different. Probably no other way to proceed but I will wait for some indication that DJ was the problem. This team, Stutzle in particular, stated going south the night the fans booed the kids. I don't know how you fix that kind of confidence issue with a young team. Other than for Brady, it appears like some players have lost their edge.

From a visual aspect . 1st game coaching grades imo.
Martin - A
Alfredsson - C+

I think alffy should have just whispered into kastaleic ear...for the first game anyway. I think alffy got caught up in the emotion and energy .

The bad defence is ingrained in these players. But i thought they played stronger for 40 mins. Better then the usual 20. They tried.

Hope it turns out different. Probably no other way to proceed but I will wait for some indication that DJ was the problem. This team, Stutzle in particular, stated going south the night the fans booed the kids. I don't know how you fix that kind of confidence issue with a young team. Other than for Brady, it appears like some players have lost their edge.
- spatso

Their not kids. Their well paid pro athletes. If the players think they are kids, they are in the wrong league, making the wrong pay check.The problem is they weren't given the tools to rise above adversity. Perpetual problems on the defensive game leads to losses. That leads to loss of confidence

Crookshank had a heck of a game. He is flying under the opponents radar atm. But nonetheless a heck of a game

So they fired everyone...but KEPT Jack Crapuano? What the (frank)? He's the butt of every joke in the NHL.

Their not kids. Their well paid pro athletes. If the players think they are kids, they are in the wrong league, making the wrong pay check.The problem is they weren't given the tools to rise above adversity. Perpetual problems on the defensive game leads to losses. That leads to loss of confidence
- spazzbot

Most guys the age of Stutzle, Sanderson and Grieg are just learning the NHL game.

We have them as our #1 centre, #3 centre and top Dman. Sanderson is especially vulnerable. Had he been born only a few weeks later he would have dropped down to the next draft.

21 and 20 year old kids should not be held accountable for the failure/success of an NHL team. Ottawa fans booed these kids. Brady spit back. But several have gone behind a shell and the turndown in their games is noticeable.

As frustrating as that collapse was, I almost prefer to see the team lose their first game with their new coaching staff. There will be no honeymoon period which so many teams with coaching changes go through. Martin and Alfie can get right down to business.

This is a lazy and complacent group of players who have fallen into bad habits. Last night was a prime example. Alfie even called out some players on it on the bench. It takes humans about 30 days to break old habits and start new ones. The older a person is, the more difficult it is to break old habits and start new ones. Good news is that this is a young roster.

I did not like Brady fighting to try and “impress” the coach. The guy is slowly turning into a goon rather than a leader. I still like him as a player, but he has serious learning to do about being a captain. Luckily, he has a good captain breathing down his neck on a nightly basis now. He needs to start dominating people with his play instead of his fists.

Hamonic needs to be stapled to the press box. His regression has been massive since his Canucks days. His style of play was never sustainable.

I don’t think enough was made of the optional skate. Your coach just got fired, you’re on a losing streak, all media and fans are watching, and like 10 guys join the optional skate. It was a tad embarrassing.

I also liked Alfie calling out a player in a public way. Doing it privately might have protected feelings but if other players see that, they will be less likely to make the same mistake.

I don’t think enough was made of the optional skate. Your coach just got fired, you’re on a losing streak, all media and fans are watching, and like 10 guys join the optional skate. It was a tad embarrassing.

I also liked Alfie calling out a player in a public way. Doing it privately might have protected feelings but if other players see that, they will be less likely to make the same mistake.
- Gord_Wilson_2.0

I worry that they are going to lose the kids. They are great young players, but are they ready to take on the weight of being called out for overall team success? Sanderson has only played one full season.

Great to see Staios finally install a new coach in JM. The move was absolutely needed in order for the organization to properly assess the roster, to instill structure/discipline and to start making positive strides in player development. Of all the players, I'm really curious about potential improvements to Chabot's game which I believe has regressed significantly under DJ Smith.

I'm thinking that we will need a month or so under Jacques before we start to see the team play to its true level of abilities.

Facts: Sens have played about 1 third of the season.
94 or 95 points. That is minimum for Ottawa to make the playoffs.
Possible records to make playoffs: 33-17-6 OR 31-13-11

So question is which is better: Go for 33-17-6 record - which will be incredibly difficult and likely not possible (getting rid of a good draft pick in a year that is likely wasted) OR shut down Tim Stutzle for the year. Trade Kubalik, Hamonic, Brannstrom, and possibly Forsberg + Tarasenko and focus on developing, re-establishing the structure and identify of this team and hopefully draft a 5-8th overall pick.

Thoughts?

Most guys the age of Stutzle, Sanderson and Grieg are just learning the NHL game.

We have them as our #1 centre, #3 centre and top Dman. Sanderson is especially vulnerable. Had he been born only a few weeks later he would have dropped down to the next draft.

21 and 20 year old kids should not be held accountable for the failure/success of an NHL team. Ottawa fans booed these kids. Brady spit back. But several have gone behind a shell and the turndown in their games is noticeable.
- spatso

I'm not concerned with Sanderson/Greig... not only are they 2nd generation NHL players who've had the benefit of world-class coaching throughout their development, but they're already among the most defensively responsible players on the team. Stutzle is really the exceptional case, in that he's from a non-traditional hockey country (i.e. potential gaps in his foundational development), started in the NHL as a winger, and was then rushed into a #1C role due to the Norris injury. He's done a remarkable job all things considered, but it's not surprising that there are significant gaps in his two-way development. Or that he needs help in terms of identifying when risk-taking is warranted, and when less really is more - at which point the expectation is that he focus on the NHL-level execution of a more routine play that just gets the team out of harm's way.

Failing to address/support this kind of obvious gap in defensive/mental preparation is precisely why D.J. Smith is no longer the coach. Conversely, it's exactly what Martin does best - with players like Hossa and Alfredsson being examples of adding a strong two-way dimension to world-class offensive players. By all accounts, Stutzle has a similar level of competitiveness and willingness to work hard, and I have no doubt he'll be far better off for having stronger coaching support and focusing his energy on playing the game more effectively at both ends of the rink. But it will be a work in progress, and something where I think we could see a progressive shift in his game over the rest of the season. As for the issue of booing and taking criticism, that just comes with the job and the $8M paycheque. It takes a ton of resilience, tenacity, and hard work to be successful in the NHL, and there's no point in pretending it doesn't.

We are definitely in a holding pattern for now. Need to give new coaches time to put new systems in place. These guys do bring in a totally different set of personalities - less affable, more rigid. We need to wait and see if A) Martin can still coach - he's 71 and been gone from the bench for awhile and B) if Alfredsson can be an effective coach - he's a legend, but he's also a bit of an odd duck, hasn't really done this before, unpredictable. At this point anything new is good, and I hope the team goes on an absolute tear and proves me wrong, but I wouldn't be surprised if the eventual long term solution involves neither of these guys.

Most guys the age of Stutzle, Sanderson and Grieg are just learning the NHL game.

We have them as our #1 centre, #3 centre and top Dman. Sanderson is especially vulnerable. Had he been born only a few weeks later he would have dropped down to the next draft.

21 and 20 year old kids should not be held accountable for the failure/success of an NHL team. Ottawa fans booed these kids. Brady spit back. But several have gone behind a shell and the turndown in their games is noticeable.
- spatso

Oh o.k its the fans fault, they dont know how to play defense and loose regularly because of it. Thank goodness that the reason is the fans fault , otherwise those baby goats would have to learn how to play smart and win.

It is silly to think their confidence is broken from any other reason then loosing. And coming to the realization that you can't compete in a competitive league because of how you play must be shocking to some of them