Sens Writer: Senators fire D.J. Smith; name Jacques Martin as interim coach

Long overdue, but this is why they hired Martin. Now on to a more defensive scheme!

Well I'm surprised it took this long.
Martin will tighten things up and give your average goaltending a chance .
I think you will now go on a run starting with Arizona.

lol

Well I'm surprised it took this long.
Martin will tighten things up and give your average goaltending a chance .
I think you will now go on a run starting with Arizona.
- Rang

What I don’t understand is that if ownership was closely monitoring both Dorian and Smith this season then why did they agree to the ufa signings and extensions like they did this summer? Seems stupid and shortsighted imo.

Had they analyzed correctly (see what brisbois did in not resigning Stamkos) then they could still been here at the bottom of the standings but had cap space to weaponize at TDL and the off season.

There is no way they can make up ground to sneak into the playoffs and they better not try or it’ll just screwup their lottery odd. they’re best hope is tank and hope to sell off some parts at the TDL. Imo when you’re trading away newly signed players it always makes your organization look bad and difficult to attract good ufa’s.

I hope they get back on the bikes after the game.

Yup, way overdue move. The Sens still have a few games in hand so maybe we can turn this ship around. Not win-the-cup turnaround, but squeak-into-round-1 turnaround.

What I don’t understand is that if ownership was closely monitoring both Dorian and Smith this season then why did they agree to the ufa signings and extensions like they did this summer? Seems stupid and shortsighted imo.

Had they analyzed correctly (see what brisbois did in not resigning Stamkos) then they could still been here at the bottom of the standings but had cap space to weaponize at TDL and the off season.

There is no way they can make up ground to sneak into the playoffs and they better not try or it’ll just screwup their lottery odd. they’re best hope is tank and hope to sell off some parts at the TDL. Imo when you’re trading away newly signed players it always makes your organization look bad and difficult to attract good ufa’s.
- Turnitaround

Its hard to say what input they actually had before sept.21 when andlauer was officially named. That would be speculation.
There is not 1 player on the trade board yet. Especially not a young core piece. That would be speculation.

No one involved would consider or accept tanking. That would be speculation.

I hope they get back on the bikes after the game.
- PogBoi

Mandatory after losses. I still remember seeing post game interviews on their bikes

UFA signings (Tarasenko), and DeBrincat trade, and McEwen and Hamonic ..... all were done before Andlauer officially bought the team. I think these moves were done by Dorion operating within a budget. Andlauer had no hockey guys (Staios) advising him at that point.

If nothing else, it continues a very positive trend under new owner Michael Andlauer of reconnecting the current team with players/staff from the franchise's most successful years.

That concept has worked well in Edmonton.

I hope I am entirely wrong but the hiring of Matin and Alfie does not encourage any positive vibes with me.

New ownership group has been indecisive since day 1.

If folks soon discover Smith never was the problem, whee do we go from here?

I hope I am entirely wrong but the hiring of Matin and Alfie does not encourage any positive vibes with me.

New ownership group has been indecisive since day 1.

If folks soon discover Smith never was the problem, whee do we go from here?
- spatso

Trade core players

It was time to part ways with DJ Smith. He was a placeholder coach until this team needed to take the next step. While it’s later than it should have been, it’s better late than never.

While it is exciting to see familiar faces back on an interim basis, I’m on the fence about bringing in Martin and Alfie. Martin’s successful head coaching years was 20 years ago, and Alfie seems to be just wanting to get his feet wet in all aspects of hockey ops to see what he likes. You will win points with the fans for nostalgia, but I am not sure about it. I couldn’t help but think “what year is it?” when I heard they were acting as the interim coaches. Granted, Martin has won cups with Pittsburgh more recently on the assistant side of things, and he is a proven smart hockey man.

With that said, anyone replacing DJ is a good move at this point. It will bring in a new voice to the dressing room and give the players a wakeup call that they really need.

I hope I am entirely wrong but the hiring of Matin and Alfie does not encourage any positive vibes with me.

New ownership group has been indecisive since day 1.

If folks soon discover Smith never was the problem, whee do we go from here?
- spatso

It is entirely possible that this make up of players just is not good enough.

- Is Brady just a top 6 power forward and should not be a captain or franchise player?
- Are Batherson and Norris just top 9 forwards with some powerplay specialties?
- Does Stutzle need a Crosby or McDavid playing in front of them on the depth chart like Malkin and Draisaitl?
- Are Sanderson, Chabot, Chychrun just top 4 d-men rather than top 2 guys?

It is entirely possible that these guys evaluations have been misinterpreted. However, they are all still young and deserve to show that they are all the real deal under a different regime. I think you will likely find a mix of guys that take their play to the next level and some that fall off a bit.

I think Brady, Stu, Batherson, and Sanderson will be fine. I am on the fence with Chychrun, but Martin could certainly help him. I think you might see Chabot and Norris struggle as they were large beneficiaries of DJ’s ice time allocation.

I do think you will see one or two big names moved come October 2024 to address roster weaknesses.

Is it possible we over valued our people.
Maybe. Every fan base does it.
I try and be impartial. I think they are very good. But they're also still very green. Have they matured and advanced skill wise as fast as we'd like? No. Is coaching part of the problem, or was it? Maybe.

If this team continues to struggle and it is determined pieces need to be moved, expect Chabot, Joseph, Norris, Tarasenko to get floated. Tara UFA, Joseph is crushing it and has real value if the team decides they need more cap space, Chabot has become the odd LD out, and Norris is overpaid for what he is.

But I am hoping it doesn't come to that, hope this move finally means things turn around - it would be extremely validating as a fan to be proven correct on DJ.

If this team continues to struggle and it is determined pieces need to be moved, expect Chabot, Joseph, Norris, Tarasenko to get floated. Tara UFA, Joseph is crushing it and has real value if the team decides they need more cap space, Chabot has become the odd LD out, and Norris is overpaid for what he is.

But I am hoping it doesn't come to that, hope this move finally means things turn around - it would be extremely validating as a fan to be proven correct on DJ.
- Bartacus

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

If this team continues to struggle and it is determined pieces need to be moved, expect Chabot, Joseph, Norris, Tarasenko to get floated. Tara UFA, Joseph is crushing it and has real value if the team decides they need more cap space, Chabot has become the odd LD out, and Norris is overpaid for what he is.

But I am hoping it doesn't come to that, hope this move finally means things turn around - it would be extremely validating as a fan to be proven correct on DJ.
- Bartacus

Staios and Andlauer inherited a roster where none of the players are all guys that they did not bring in. It would be naïve to think that some guys will win them over and others may be moved.

While Dorion definitely had some decent signings, the Chabot and Norris signings, in hindsight, have not been home runs. Chabot (and White at the time) were basically given blank cheques to show that at least some young players wanted to stay in Ottawa. While they played well enough to earn NHL contracts, the salary and term were quite significant and heavily invested in potential.

Norris’s contract still has me a little perplexed. He was deemed as a middling prospect in the Karlsson trade, performed admirably in the AHL, and had a good 21/22 season. He was trending in the right direction but has had the history of shoulder issues and the 21/22 season was flying high on season where his shooting percentage was 20% which really is not sustainable. I am not sure why the max term was involved.

Both players also seemed to have DJ Smith's trust and were played more than they probably should have been.

These are two players that I think you might see Staios and Andlauer might seek to move. Nearly $16 million invested in two players that have lost or are working their way to losing spots on the roster. Chabot is losing out to Sandy and maybe Chychrun if he plays better under new coaching. Norris has already lost a spot to Stu and Greig is playing an excellent all-around game. Don’t forget that Pinto will be back in the fold soon.

With this said, I think Norris’s contract might not be moveable unless you take on another bad contract. I am not sure the risk to take another bad contract will be worth it over trying to get Norris healthy and back to his shooting self. Chabot on the other hand will have value. Teams covet strong skating puck movers.

Things can certainly change with new coaching but right now, I think it’s easy to determine that Norris and Chabot might be the odd guys out if you were to shake up the roster.

You don't follow up a major coaching change by trading core players, without first seeing how they respond. It was mentioned on a recent TSN podcast that Jacques Martin apparently described the Senators' current style of play as "unprofessional". That's pretty telling in terms of just how dysfunctional Smith and his coaching staff were at developing a coherent defensive structure. Dorion/Smith often spoke of their desire to build a team that was "tough to play against", but they somehow forgot the part about teaching the young players how to win games at the NHL level.

No, they have to give Martin at least until the end of the year to start making changes to how many of these players approach the game. The best two +/- players on the team right now are a rookie and a guy that most people wanted to see gone in training camp, and a lot of that has to do with putting in an honest 200' work ethic. My guess is you'll see Martin really simplify the game that players like Stutzle/Norris are playing down the middle, with a major emphasis on supporting the puck transition out of the D zone. That, and learning how to make a non-catastrophic line change in the 2nd period.

If this team continues to struggle and it is determined pieces need to be moved, expect Chabot, Joseph, Norris, Tarasenko to get floated. Tara UFA, Joseph is crushing it and has real value if the team decides they need more cap space, Chabot has become the odd LD out, and Norris is overpaid for what he is.

But I am hoping it doesn't come to that, hope this move finally means things turn around - it would be extremely validating as a fan to be proven correct on DJ.
- Bartacus

Anyone not named Grieg, Pinto, Stu, Brady, Sanderson, Zub, and possibly Batherson should be made available if they are not challenging for a playoff position by February. I would add Giroux to this list as he provides so much leadership (should have the C) but he won't be moved until the last year of his contract (if at all). And that includes both goalies, Chabot, Branny, Joseph and Kubalik - those last three names might be the most easiest to move and have the most value.

But, truthfully, we all got what we wanted...DJ is gone. If JM can turn the ship around, great. The are only 12 pts out of a playoff spot with 4 to 5 games still in hand.

The problem is this team will have to win at a .600 pace to have shot at the playoffs.

And the goaltending is just horrendous. Shockingly bad.

Bad goals, at bad times, are back breakers. And coach killers, it seems.

You don't follow up a major coaching change by trading core players, without first seeing how they respond. It was mentioned on a recent TSN podcast that Jacques Martin apparently described the Senators' current style of play as "unprofessional". That's pretty telling in terms of just how dysfunctional Smith and his coaching staff were at developing a coherent defensive structure. Dorion/Smith often spoke of their desire to build a team that was "tough to play against", but they somehow forgot the part about teaching the young players how to win games at the NHL level.

No, they have to give Martin at least until the end of the year to start making changes to how many of these players approach the game. The best two +/- players on the team right now are a rookie and a guy that most people wanted to see gone in training camp, and a lot of that has to do with putting in an honest 200' work ethic. My guess is you'll see Martin really simplify the game that players like Stutzle/Norris are playing down the middle, with a major emphasis on supporting the puck transition out of the D zone. That, and learning how to make a non-catastrophic line change in the 2nd period.
- khawk

There will not be a big trade today or tomorrow, but you’ll likely see something significant come October 2024. Especially with a new GM at the helm.

With a coaching change, some players will be relived looking for a new start and some will be more panicked and not accustomed to change. With this young roster and the vibe that this team was unprofessional or just happy to be in the NHL, I suspect most players might be panicking a little. Some will adapt and some will not.

Will be interesting times. Lots of work to do with a slim chance to salvage this season.

If Sens won't hire Craig Berube or Gerard Gallant, Hire John Gruden right away.

If Sens won't hire Craig Berube or Gerard Gallant, Hire John Gruden right away.
- AlfieisKing

Brunette, if I owned the team.