Kevin Francis: Sens Gameday/DJ Smith blew it on Thursday night in loss to the Wild!

This team isn't deep enough to overcome losing Norris for the whole season. If they would have held onto Paul and Brown they might have been OK but Joseph has absolutely zero hockey IQ and Motte is a big step down from either of those two. Pinto is the only reason that third line has seen any success.

Brassard looked good against AHL lineups in the preseason and is an OK depth player but I have my doubts about his effectiveness as a number 2C for 75 more games and who knows if Pinto is ready to step into that role. This is exactly the reason Dorion needed to keep guys like Paul and Brown around and I said so when the "Proudest Day of My Life" bungler was making these bone head moves.

I'm not a Heatherington fan based on what I saw in the preseason and a little bit last year but you could put this coach to the torture and he will still refuse to play JBD or Thomson so I guess Heatherington it is.

I'm happy they have held onto their 2023 first round pick and hope the bungler doesn't give it up all so they can finish at 19 in the standings rather than 22; or is this where we get fleeced for an outside D acquisition along with some salary dump forward and in return give up that pick along with JBD or Thomson and probably even Greig?

Anyway when this team plays with energy they are fun to watch and there will be a lot of feel good moments this season.

My wishes for the New Year are play JBD and Thomson once you figure out you're not winning anything this year and DO NOT - let me repeat that - DO NOT sign DeBrincat but try and find somebody who will give you something for him at the trade deadline but I doubt any serious Cup contender would be interested. He's OK for a bottom feeder team so you might get something in the summer. He certainly shoots from everywhere and when he actually scores it looks good but I think that maybe the guys trying to set him up should shoot the puck themselves a little more.

This team isn't deep enough to overcome losing Norris for the whole season. If they would have held onto Paul and Brown they might have been OK but Joseph has absolutely zero hockey IQ and Motte is a big step down from either of those two. Pinto is the only reason that third line has seen any success.

Brassard looked good against AHL lineups in the preseason and is an OK depth player but I have my doubts about his effectiveness as a number 2C for 75 more games and who knows if Pinto is ready to step into that role. This is exactly the reason Dorion needed to keep guys like Paul and Brown around and I said so when the "Proudest Day of My Life" bungler was making these bone head moves.

I'm not a Heatherington fan based on what I saw in the preseason and a little bit last year but you could put this coach to the torture and he will still refuse to play JBD or Thomson so I guess Heatherington it is.

I'm happy they have held onto their 2023 first round pick and hope the bungler doesn't give it up all so they can finish at 19 in the standings rather than 22; or is this where we get fleeced for an outside D acquisition along with some salary dump forward and in return give up that pick along with JBD or Thomson and probably even Greig?

Anyway when this team plays with energy they are fun to watch and there will be a lot of feel good moments this season.

My wishes for the New Year are play JBD and Thomson once you figure out you're not winning anything this year and DO NOT - let me repeat that - DO NOT sign DeBrincat but try and find somebody who will give you something for him at the trade deadline but I doubt any serious Cup contender would be interested. He's OK for a bottom feeder team so you might get something in the summer. He certainly shoots from everywhere and when he actually scores it looks good but I think that maybe the guys trying to set him up should shoot the puck themselves a little more.
- Whatisavailable

The Joseph stuff is definitely an issue. Simmer on Twitter as well as the guys on TSN1050 talked about it earlier in the week too how he lacks hockey IQ. All speed. Kevin said it on here, he skates miles and does very little. Plus he stated in his blog when Dorion signed him to the 4 year extension how in the games he played last year for Ottawa in which he put most of his points against Montreal and Detroit, two of the worst teams to end the season. Joseph barely did anything against the top half of the league. He had control for two more years, but had to give him 4 years without proving a damn thing. What a big swing and a miss.

At the game live on Thursday, Brassard was fine, when you get to see his 200 ft. game and all he does. Is he a long term solution, no. But for now he will be fine and if he has to slide down to the three spot so be it. Lets see how this team adapts without Norris over the next 5 games then see what Dorion might need to do.

On defense, Kevin you nailed it on all 3 guys. Chabot's minutes need to be reduced now, DJ's double standard needs to stop with players on defense. Hamonic was so bad in person on Thursday. Zaitsev looks so nervous up close, we were 12 rows up behind the bench and he is a lost soul out there. Heatherington needs to dress today. Anything and I mean anything is better than number 22.

DJ can't get out of is own way. I recall Brian Burke saying very good coaches can earn you an extra 10-15 points in the regular season with proper roster decisions and proper in-game adjustments/line matching. Unfortunately we have a coach that needs to be told by Dorion to stop his stupidity because both of them will continue to look foolish when DJ is allowed to do some of the same silliness for over three seasons now. That 4th line fiasco against Minnesota was just junior coaching style. The amount of fans yelling at the bench when it continue to happen in the third period was wild. At one point, Hamonic looked up behind the bench as if to say, yes please keep yelling at DJ, his face said it all. Players arent dumb when it comes to seeing the same foolishness happen with this guy.

This team isn't deep enough to overcome losing Norris for the whole season. If they would have held onto Paul and Brown they might have been OK but Joseph has absolutely zero hockey IQ and Motte is a big step down from either of those two. Pinto is the only reason that third line has seen any success.

Brassard looked good against AHL lineups in the preseason and is an OK depth player but I have my doubts about his effectiveness as a number 2C for 75 more games and who knows if Pinto is ready to step into that role. This is exactly the reason Dorion needed to keep guys like Paul and Brown around and I said so when the "Proudest Day of My Life" bungler was making these bone head moves.

I'm not a Heatherington fan based on what I saw in the preseason and a little bit last year but you could put this coach to the torture and he will still refuse to play JBD or Thomson so I guess Heatherington it is.

I'm happy they have held onto their 2023 first round pick and hope the bungler doesn't give it up all so they can finish at 19 in the standings rather than 22; or is this where we get fleeced for an outside D acquisition along with some salary dump forward and in return give up that pick along with JBD or Thomson and probably even Greig?

Anyway when this team plays with energy they are fun to watch and there will be a lot of feel good moments this season.

My wishes for the New Year are play JBD and Thomson once you figure out you're not winning anything this year and DO NOT - let me repeat that - DO NOT sign DeBrincat but try and find somebody who will give you something for him at the trade deadline but I doubt any serious Cup contender would be interested. He's OK for a bottom feeder team so you might get something in the summer. He certainly shoots from everywhere and when he actually scores it looks good but I think that maybe the guys trying to set him up should shoot the puck themselves a little more.
- Whatisavailable

Trading the bolded was a real head scratcher for me.

Sounds like DJ is going to play Zaitsev with Chabot. Can you imagine any other NHL head coach doing this with Zaitsev? What a joke.....if DJ does this, it's a fireable offense. What to set up your team for defeat by this! UNREAL!

Sounds like DJ is going to play Zaitsev with Chabot. Can you imagine any other NHL head coach doing this with Zaitsev? What a joke.....if DJ does this, it's a fireable offense. What to set up your team for defeat by this! UNREAL!
- Kevin Francis

no, a real NHL coach would not play Zeitsev unless he has no option and mean ALL D prospects injured and no UFA D available, even then they should just pick a random guy off the streets to play, he would be better than Zeitsev.

Do not be surprised if Chabot gets injured.

no, a real NHL coach would not play Zeitsev unless he has no option and mean ALL D prospects injured and no UFA D available, even then they should just pick a random guy off the streets to play, he would be better than Zeitsev.

Do not be surprised if Chabot gets injured.
- Mithos

He got Chabot injured last year because of his stupidity on the ice. Its like DJ is coaching to lose if he plays Zaitsev for a single minute with Chabot.

Minnesota is a very good team and played hard for the entire game, with their #1 goalie in net. That is something the team very rarely saw last year. It is a testament to how improved this team is when they hung in for the entire game with an uninspiring effort by many players. The additions of Sanderson, Pinto, Kastelic, Giroux and Debrincat has been a massive injection of talent. Debrincat has started to look really good and seems to be settling in.

With the right changes before next season, this team should be able to compete with the NHL's top teams. I still see this year as a developmental year and not a year to give up futures for help in the present.

Not the worst of games, but agreed about Zaitsev. Classic case of a guy who came into the league late from the K, put up ok numbers, got way over rewarded, and then just gave up on trying to be better. Semin styles. I think DJ feels a need to play Zaitsev to validate vouching for the trade that got him here. Ceci, painful as he was, was a much better defenseman, and by a long shot. I still cannot believe we did Dubas and our in-province rival that massive favour.

Not the worst of games, but agreed about Zaitsev. Classic case of a guy who came into the league late from the K, put up ok numbers, got way over rewarded, and then just gave up on trying to be better. Semin styles. I think DJ feels a need to play Zaitsev to validate vouching for the trade that got him here. Ceci, painful as he was, was a much better defenseman, and by a long shot. I still cannot believe we did Dubas and our in-province rival that massive favour.
- Bartacus

I have no great desire to become an apologist for Zaitsev, I suspect they are trying their best to move him and periodically need to give him some ice time to sustain interest.

Hard to put it in perspective when folks go on at length about how poorly Zaitsev played and totally ignore the fact that Tkachuk, Stutzle and Batherson were a combined -9 on the evening. I am not a fan of Zaitsev by any means but this piling on is too much.

I have no great desire to become an apologist for Zaitsev, I suspect they are trying their best to move him and periodically need to give him some ice time to sustain interest.

Hard to put it in perspective when folks go on at length about how poorly Zaitsev played and totally ignore the fact that Tkachuk, Stutzle and Batherson were a combined -9 on the evening. I am not a fan of Zaitsev by any means but this piling on is too much.
- spatso

Fair enough from Kevin, but I never mentioned the game performance, just the player and the situation we find ourselves in with his contract. It was an idiotic move then and has yielded nothing but lost opportunities for young and better players, and several wasted years of Connor Brown's career.

I have no great desire to become an apologist for Zaitsev, I suspect they are trying their best to move him and periodically need to give him some ice time to sustain interest.

Hard to put it in perspective when folks go on at length about how poorly Zaitsev played and totally ignore the fact that Tkachuk, Stutzle and Batherson were a combined -9 on the evening. I am not a fan of Zaitsev by any means but this piling on is too much.
- spatso

Please don't compare one game by our top line to Zaitsev. Seriously man, nobody is piling on, its called stating facts whenever he plays! Awful hockey take!

I have no great desire to become an apologist for Zaitsev, I suspect they are trying their best to move him and periodically need to give him some ice time to sustain interest.

Hard to put it in perspective when folks go on at length about how poorly Zaitsev played and totally ignore the fact that Tkachuk, Stutzle and Batherson were a combined -9 on the evening. I am not a fan of Zaitsev by any means but this piling on is too much.
- spatso

Plus why on earth would you play him any more when he has no value anyways, by playing him you are showing other teams how inept he is. Leave him in the pressbox. Last thing PD needs is for Zaitsev to get hurt, then he cant be moved at all or put on waivers. So using the lets showcase him card to be able to trade holds NO water!

Please don't compare one game by our top line to Zaitsev. Seriously man, nobody is piling on, its called stating facts whenever he plays! Awful hockey take!
- Kevin Francis

Sorry I'm just tired of the repetition.

The horse is long dead, I think we should stop beating it.

Why TF is Zaitsev on the PK?!?

Why is he on the ice at all!!

Fire Smith now.

Sorry I'm just tired of the repetition.

The horse is long dead, I think we should stop beating it.
- spatso

Oh well, most fans on social media and on here don't want to stop. All facts being stated, this coach has brought it on himself along with GM for allowing this situation to occur. If you want to stop that is fine but don't force what you want on others.

Sorry I'm just tired of the repetition.

The horse is long dead, I think we should stop beating it.
- spatso

Oh well, most fans on social media and on here don't want to stop. All facts being stated, this coach has brought it on himself along with GM for allowing this situation to occur. If you want to stop that is fine but don't force what you want on others.

Why TF is Zaitsev on the PK?!?

Why is he on the ice at all!!

Fire Smith now.
- Octavarium

He plays scared, like many have told me he has no work ethic either....what a nightmare....both DJ and Zaitsev....wow!

Marc Methot
@MarcMethot3
Oh boy, #22 needs to go.

Post 4 minutes ago and he has 38 fans all agreeing with him.....fans are going nuts!

I hope everyone goes and read the replies to his tweet.......it's that bad folks! Unreal!

ISarcasm alert!!!

Ottawa's best players - Sanderson, DeBrincat and Brannstrom really taking it to the Pasnthers.

Kelly really showed them. No one can hug like he can.

Shawn Simpson
@TSNSimmer
·
6m
Zaitsev never makes plays. The chaos is amplified with Zub out.

Ottawa's best players - Sanderson, DeBrincat and Brannstrom really taking it to the Pasnthers.
- Whatisavailable

3/4 of the team still on the plane. DJ doesn't do himself any favours either. The look on his face when he pans to Capuano has gone on for over 3 seasons, just so lost!

And it trickles through the D core. Normally steady Holden is making mistakes. Everybody suffers.

Oh look....they are giving up 20 plus shots in a period again.

Cant expect to win getting out shot 7 to 1.

And there is no Dzone 5 on 5 breakout ability.