Michael Stuart: POLL: How would you grade DJ Smith's coaching career in Ottawa to date?

The Sen's have been fun so far.

Fun yes. His comments about players like Zaitsev worry me though. While he’s done a good job with having this team generate offensive chances, is having Chabot learn that “good defense” means getting hemmed in for extended periods of time help prepare him for when this team needs to transition into contenders? I’d have more confidence if the team was suffering because young players were only getting sheltered minutes to build their confidence, or that we just had to accept that a third pairing of Zaitsev and Hainsey is going to combine for -500 on the season, while players like Chabot and Branstrom pair with more able partners.

To Edmonton

Jean-Gabriel Pageau (resign 4 x 4)
Christian Jaros
conditional pick in 2021

To Ottawa

Jesse Puljujarvi
Alex Chiasson or Sam Gagner (edm choice)
Kris Russell

To Edmonton

Jean-Gabriel Pageau (resign 4 x 4)
Christian Jaros
conditional pick in 2021

To Ottawa

Jesse Puljujarvi
Alex Chiasson or Sam Gagner (edm choice)
Kris Russell

that's a TERRIBLE deal for ottawa. I wouldn't trade Pageau straight up for Puljajarvi at this point as he's still WAY too much of a question mark.....and even if you do make that trade, the rest of the deal is Jaros (who's a legit NHL dman right now) and a pick for 2 cap dumps.

HELL NO

his refusal to split up zaitsev and chabot aside, i like what he's done so far this year.

sens have given up a lot of goals, but a lot of that is due to having poopty goaltending. they are still giving up a lot of shots, but they have 2 dmen in the top 4 who are under the age of 22 and still developing their game, so that will get better.

the PP is a little concerning, but there is definitely a lack of talent up front that contributes to that.

overall i'd give him a B. he's playing the young kids a lot, he's letting them learn from their mistakes, unlike Boucher who would bench them instantly.

like you said, they're losing but they're making it entertaining.....and there haven't been many games where you could say that they were badly outplayed

that's a TERRIBLE deal for ottawa. I wouldn't trade Pageau straight up for Puljajarvi at this point as he's still WAY too much of a question mark.....and even if you do make that trade, the rest of the deal is Jaros (who's a legit NHL dman right now) and a pick for 2 cap dumps.

HELL NO
- sensarmy_11

I was throwing it out there....

but Puljarjarvi has a high ceiling.

I am certainly opening to trading Pageau only because there will be GOOD market for him

I was throwing it out there....

but Puljarjarvi has a high ceiling.

I am certainly opening to trading Pageau only because there will be GOOD market for him
- AlfieisKing

you could probably get pulijarvi (i spell his name differently every time) for a late 2nd and so so prospect. dallas 2nd and chlapik, or something similar. Everyone and their mother knows that edmonton is behind the 8 ball here, he'll never play there, and the longer they wait the less he's worth.

make that deal, turn around and trade pageau for a late 1st rd pick

much better than your proposal IMO

I was throwing it out there....

but Puljarjarvi has a high ceiling.

I am certainly opening to trading Pageau only because there will be GOOD market for him
- AlfieisKing

I mean what team couldn't use a five goal performance from a guy for one game in the playoffs?

In all seriousness, I expect his numbers to dip even with increased ice time. But if they can snag a 2nd rounder for him they should definitely take it.

Depending how low the return is though, I'd say they should consider keeping him.

I mean what team couldn't use a five goal performance from a guy for one game in the playoffs?

In all seriousness, I expect his numbers to dip even with increased ice time. But if they can snag a 2nd rounder for him they should definitely take it.

Depending how low the return is though, I'd say they should consider keeping him.
- david22

teams get desperate at the TDL and ALWAYS overpay. a player like pageau, who's solid offensively, but a great 2-way guy who's always very good in the dot.......teams will pay a premium for that going into the playoffs.

if ottawa got two 2nd rd picks and duclair for Dzingel......then pageau is EASILY worth a late 1st. he scores maybe 5-6 pts less than dzingel, but is far better in just about every other area of the game.

teams get desperate at the TDL and ALWAYS overpay. a player like pageau, who's solid offensively, but a great 2-way guy who's always very good in the dot.......teams will pay a premium for that going into the playoffs.

if ottawa got two 2nd rd picks and duclair for Dzingel......then pageau is EASILY worth a late 1st. he scores maybe 5-6 pts less than dzingel, but is far better in just about every other area of the game.
- sensarmy_11

I love Pageau. But he's a good third line center, and that will rarely see all that great a return, even at the deadline.

Comparing his and Dzingels numbers, without mention that Dzingel has back to back 20 goal years when Pageau has only once close to 20 goals isn't being fair.

I hope I'm wrong.

I love Pageau. But he's a good third line center, and that will rarely see all that great a return, even at the deadline.

Comparing his and Dzingels numbers, without mention that Dzingel has back to back 20 goal years when Pageau has only once close to 20 goals isn't being fair.

I hope I'm wrong.
- david22

my thinking that we can get a 1st for him is with the assumption that he can maintain at, or close to his current scoring pace......if he does, he'll have over 20 goals by the TDL

apparantely the leafs are going to put spezza on waivers in order to bring hyman back into the lineup.

am I the only one who thinks it wouldn't be the worst idea to bring him back. if nothing else, he'd be a great mentor/teacher for guys like brown, white, etc.....and he's probably a better option than guys like boedker, anisimov, beaudin, etc even at this point in his career. he makes almost the league minimum and is UFA at the end of the year.......it's a decent on ice move, a really good PR move, and it probably helps the young guys.

I hope they claim him

I don't see why people want to trade Pageau - he's cheap, produces, is liked by the crowd, serves as a guy with some XP in a roster full of youngsters, and would yield 'OK' results in a trade. Keep him, I say.

As for picking Spezza up - I'd be totally up for that. Even more if TO can keep some of his salary (not sure if that can be done when someone's on waiver).

my thinking that we can get a 1st for him is with the assumption that he can maintain at, or close to his current scoring pace......if he does, he'll have over 20 goals by the TDL
- sensarmy_11

I could certainly see it, but I think his return will be closer to a 2nd + something lesser, if they trade him.

I'll have to disagree on the wanting to bring Spezza back. We have enough older plugs on this team. The only way I'd bring him back is if we can get rid of one of the other older guys on the team at the same time, which wouldn't happen.

I'll have to disagree on the wanting to bring Spezza back. We have enough older plugs on this team. The only way I'd bring him back is if we can get rid of one of the other older guys on the team at the same time, which wouldn't happen.
- david22

except that even now, spezza is as good or better than most of those other plugs were in their prime.

spezza was an ELITE player in this league, and he would be able to mentor our young guys with elite potential. his body has obviously slowed down, but i'm sure his hockey IQ and understanding of the game are as sharp as they've ever been.

he would fill a hole while white and brown are both out long term, and he would be able to work with them in practice as they re-coup.

if we were up against the cap, obviously don't bother....but they have a poop load of cap room. if they need to unload a contract to remain under the max number, dump some plug from the minors.

i'd want to bring him in basically as a "player/coach". none of the vets on this team were ever really "elite" players....Bobby Ryan was the closest, and even in his prime i'm not sure i'd consider him elite. they need someone like that to mentor the kids

apparantely the leafs are going to put spezza on waivers in order to bring hyman back into the lineup.

am I the only one who thinks it wouldn't be the worst idea to bring him back. if nothing else, he'd be a great mentor/teacher for guys like brown, white, etc.....and he's probably a better option than guys like boedker, anisimov, beaudin, etc even at this point in his career. he makes almost the league minimum and is UFA at the end of the year.......it's a decent on ice move, a really good PR move, and it probably helps the young guys.

I hope they claim him
- sensarmy_11

Petan would be a better pick off the Leaf roster. Lots of team are in CAP hell, Multiple issues including the dollar cap on salary, as well as roster size and total number of players under contract (limited to 50).

Sen's need to be careful and take full advantage of their CAP and roster advantages.

Petan would be a better pick off the Leaf roster. Lots of team are in CAP hell, Multiple issues including the dollar cap on salary, as well as roster size and total number of players under contract (limited to 50).

Sen's need to be careful and take full advantage of their CAP and roster advantages.
- spatso

what on earth would petan provide to this team?

he's not a good player so he doesn't help on the ice

he's never really been a good player, so he doesn't help mentor young kids

I wouldn't say he's better than anyone on our current roster other than maybe sabourin......who we all know will never be sent down despite his being awful at playing hockey

petan adds NOTHING to this team

what on earth would petan provide to this team?

he's not a good player so he doesn't help on the ice

he's never really been a good player, so he doesn't help mentor young kids

I wouldn't say he's better than anyone on our current roster other than maybe sabourin......who we all know will never be sent down despite his being awful at playing hockey

petan adds NOTHING to this team
- sensarmy_11

I don't disagree. But, Petan would be a better choice than Spezza.

i'd want to bring him in basically as a "player/coach". none of the vets on this team were ever really "elite" players....Bobby Ryan was the closest, and even in his prime i'm not sure i'd consider him elite. they need someone like that to mentor the kids
- sensarmy_11

Except the actual coach is preaching work ethic, which is not what Spezza has ever brought to the table. In fact, it's a large reason as to why he's going on waivers, after failing to earn Babcock's trust in even a 4th line role. Spezza is a shadow of his former self, and the NHL game passed him by about 2 years ago when he was struggling to put up 20-something points in Dallas. And previously being a good player does not mean you can teach or coach. This is why good NHL coaches are often relatively obscure former players, because to teach and learn the game is different from just being naturally gifted at playing it.

Major pass on Spezza... he may have nostalgia value for some fans, but he shouldn't be in the NHL in 2019/20.

except that even now, spezza is as good or better than most of those other plugs were in their prime.

spezza was an ELITE player in this league, and he would be able to mentor our young guys with elite potential. his body has obviously slowed down, but i'm sure his hockey IQ and understanding of the game are as sharp as they've ever been.

he would fill a hole while white and brown are both out long term, and he would be able to work with them in practice as they re-coup.

if we were up against the cap, obviously don't bother....but they have a poop load of cap room. if they need to unload a contract to remain under the max number, dump some plug from the minors.

i'd want to bring him in basically as a "player/coach". none of the vets on this team were ever really "elite" players....Bobby Ryan was the closest, and even in his prime i'm not sure i'd consider him elite. they need someone like that to mentor the kids
- sensarmy_11

Your notorious for wanting the young guys to play. Spezza would take one of their roles in all likelihood. Seems a bit backwards thinking given your previous posts and hatred towards Boucher.

Yes to Spezza.
No to trading Pageau. Leads the league in +/- is pretty good in the faceoff dot, gets short hand goals....

and...(I'm an anglaphone) he represents and speaks to the francaphone community element

Regarding a coaching grade, it seems a little trivial. Are people really going to give B’s out for a losing product and when guys like Chabot and Tkachuk (franchise building blocks) have struggled in the early going? (Tkachuck has come on the last handful of games)

The goal of this franchise is to rebuild. I said when DJ was hired that it really doesn’t matter what he does in the grand scheme of things. He will likely be out as coach by the time the team is ready to compete again. I am sticking to that. He just needs to set lines and let the team play. I guess he has succeeded in that respect for the most part. Although people still complain about lineup decisions after every single game.

Nick Paul is finally starting play to his potential, Logan Brown is contributing and appears more ready than ever to be a full-time NHLer, Tkachuk hasn't regressed, Pageau is playing above his head, Bobby Ryan was finally benched, and there is clear team chemistry. Overall a very solid start for DJ.