Proposal: Fire DJ Smith

[Tufted Titmouse]

What's he supposed to do with that defensive group and goaltending?

Sens are actually playing really well. The underlying numbers are good. Just can't keep the puck out of their net.

 

[Sting]

Dorion is loyal to losing - if he knows how to do one thing it’s build bad hockey teams

The whole "Pierre Dorion is loyal" speech he gave is precisely why he is a bad GM. Marc Methot alluded to this as well - he is incredibly passionate, to a fault. His decisions are rarely logical and a lot of the time seem purely emotionally driven.

His statement prior to the season starting that "he's never felt so calm as a GM" was annoying at the time and hilarious now. He narrowly escaped getting canned but I think it'll happen next year.

 

[DaveMatthew]

You really want a scenario like in Vancouver? I don't. They gotta fire the GM too. Whoever the new GM is they're gonna wanna pick the coach.

While the sale of the team is a necessary and good thing the timing is terrible in regards to where this team is currently at and the necessary changes.

I think we need to adjust the goals for the rest of the season. Playoffs are out, and so are, in reality, meaningful games (unless you still count games in March when you're 10 points out of a playoff spot "meaningful"). The priority goals:

1. Rehabilitate Thomas Chabot
2. Develop Stützle's defensive game
3. Turn Shane Pinto into a #2 center

I'd rather have a new voice (an experienced one with pedigree), even if it's just for 70 games, than have DJ back there chewing ice for the rest of the season.

 

[GCK]

Claude Julien lives in Ottawa and is waiting for a call.

He may very well be willing to take a Bruce Boudreau like contract to get back into the league (Last year, Bruce signed for the remainder of 21/22 with a club option for 22/23).

The roster has good players, he could theoretically think he can turn it around this season (not a playoff spot, but maybe a respectable 90-94 pt finish) and then win over new ownership/GM who will likely want an experienced hand at the wheel after spending $1B on the franchise.

Julien is a dinosaur, his time has passed. If we replace DJ I want a fresh face. I think we missed the boat on Touringay and Richardson.

 

[MXD]

Now whenever anyone mentions CJ I think of that video with him acting completely disrespectful to PK when PK was trying to understand his directions. He would be the opposite of DJ in terms of being a "players coach" but I acknowledge cherry picked moments can make anyone look bad.

Claude Julien never coached Subban.

 

[DaveMatthew]

Julien is a dinosaur, his time has passed. If we replace DJ I want a fresh face. I think we missed the boat on Touringay and Richardson.

A fresh face who has to learn on the job? Why? We've done that before. It hasn't worked.

We need someone with experience and pedigree and who can instil the basic details into this team's game, and get the goals/against per game down to under 3. We won't win unless that happens.

In 19 seasons, Julien's teams have only averaged more than 3 GA/game twice. DJ's have done it every season.

Bring in an innovative, new-age thinker as an assistant. Not as head coach. Dinosaurs can still win. See Bruce Cassidy, Peter DeBoer, Gerard Gallant and Lindy Ruff.

No more junior or college coaches. At least not for the next hire.

 

[Big Muddy]

I think we need to adjust the goals for the rest of the season. Playoffs are out, and so are, in reality, meaningful games (unless you still count games in March when you're 10 points out of a playoff spot "meaningful"). The priority goals:

1. Rehabilitate Thomas Chabot
2. Develop Stützle's defensive game
3. Turn Shane Pinto into a #2 center

I'd rather have a new voice (an experienced one with pedigree), even if it's just for 70 games, than have DJ back there chewing ice for the rest of the season.

Another goal would be to give JBD some more NHL ice time & continue his development. We might want to try Thomson as well. If the cap ceiling is $83.5 m, some inexpensive ELCs would help us.

 

[Cosmix]

The whole "Pierre Dorion is loyal" speech he gave is precisely why he is a bad GM. Marc Methot alluded to this as well - he is incredibly passionate, to a fault. His decisions are rarely logical and a lot of the time seem purely emotionally driven.

His statement prior to the season starting that "he's never felt so calm as a GM" was annoying at the time and hilarious now. He narrowly escaped getting canned but I think it'll happen next year.

Dorion should be removed NOW! He has done enough damage over his time here. He should NOT get any more time to screw up again. Appoint an interim GM until the new owners hire their own GM. Coach DJ and staff can remain in place until the new owners decide otherwise.

 

[Oduyanow]

Huh?

Thought you meant "... what in the world were <they> doing there lol" as in their positioning (where they were together on the ice), seemingly covering the same man and leaving the extra man free to score.

As in yes it is a coaching problem regarding lack of direction about proper defensive responsibilities. My mistake.

 

[Butchy Dakkar]

Claude Julien never coached Subban.

Yeah I acknowledged I was wrong

 

[Gil Gunderson]

Sens are 2-6 in games they score 1st.

 

[TonySoprano11]

Is the board able step in at this point and fire both Dorion and DJ, and replace them with their own candidates? If Dorion won't do it, perhaps we can rely on the board to take some action. I guess they are our only hope.

 

[GCK]

A fresh face who has to learn on the job? Why? We've done that before. It hasn't worked.

We need someone with experience and pedigree and who can instil the basic details into this team's game, and get the goals/against per game down to under 3. We won't win unless that happens.

In 19 seasons, Julien's teams have only averaged more than 3 GA/game twice. DJ's have done it every season.

Bring in an innovative, new-age thinker as an assistant. Not as head coach. Dinosaurs can still win. See Bruce Cassidy, Peter DeBoer, Gerard Gallant and Lindy Ruff.

No more junior or college coaches. At least not for the next hire.

Cassidy isn’t a dinosaur.

Gallant is failing to get the Eastern Conference favourite off to a good start.

Ruff’s teams have missed the playoffs 4 out of his 6 seasons since leaving Buffalo.

Deboer is doing well.

 

[DaveMatthew]

Cassidy isn’t a dinosaur.

Gallant is failing to get the Eastern Conference favourite off to a good start.

Ruff’s teams have missed the playoffs 4 out of his 6 seasons since leaving Buffalo.

Deboer is doing well.

Bruce Cassidy's first NHL head coaching job was in 2002. Same year as Julien.
Gallant went to the ECF finals last year and took an expansion team to the SCF.
Ruff was in the same situation as DJ heading into this year. A rebuild that needed to turn the corner. His team is in 1st place in their division. DJ's is in last.

 

[DaveMatthew]

Wednesday practice lines:

Tkachuk - Stützle - Giroux
DeBrincat - Brassard - Batherson
Motte - Pinto - Gambrell
Kelly - Kastelic - Watson

Chabot - JBD
Sanderson - Hamonic
Brannstrom - Holden

Joseph and Zaitsev are skating as extras.

DJ sending a real message.

 

[GCK]

Bruce Cassidy's first NHL head coaching job was in 2002. Same year as Julien.
Gallant went to the ECF finals last year and took an expansion team to the SCF.
Ruff was in the same situation as DJ heading into this year. A rebuild that needed to turn the corner. His team is in 1st place in their division. DJ's is in last.

Cassidy has evolved as a coach Julien never did.
Wow Ruff is off to a good start so let’s ignore the Dallas years and his 2 previous years in NJ.
Gallant has his team sitting outside the playoffs right now. So 2 good years in his career, not a slam dunk by any stretch.

 

[bert]

Wednesday practice lines:

Tkachuk - Stützle - Giroux
DeBrincat - Brassard - Batherson
Motte - Pinto - Gambrell
Kelly - Kastelic - Watson

Chabot - JBD
Sanderson - Hamonic
Brannstrom - Holden

Joseph and Zaitsev are skating as extras.

DJ sending a real message.

So zub still isn't skating? Thursday against jersey could get really ugly with that d core.

Cassidy has evolved as a coach Julien never did.
Wow Ruff is off to a good start so let’s ignore the Dallas years and his 2 previous years in NJ.
Gallant has his team sitting outside the playoffs right now. So 2 good years in his career, not a slam dunk by any stretch.

Gallant is a great coach and they have a good record. He has had alot more than 2 good years. Would do anything to get him behind the sens bench.

Was hoping the leafs would fire Keefe and the sens get him. That situation in Toronto is impossible when the players have that much power and a lame duck gm who backs anything they do/say.

 

[DaveMatthew]

Cassidy has evolved as a coach Julien never did.
Wow Ruff is off to a good start so let’s ignore the Dallas years and his 2 previous years in NJ.
Gallant has his team sitting outside the playoffs right now. So 2 good years in his career, not a slam dunk by any stretch.

Huh? Julien has been under .500 once between 2015-2021. His teams have always been good defensively, even the Montreal team he got fired from.

I'm not saying he's Al Arbour, but I'd much rather have him than DJ Smith or another first-time junior or college coach. We've been down that road before.

Nobody is a slam dunk, btw.

 

[GCK]

Huh? Julien has been under .500 once between 2015-2021. His teams have always been good defensively, even the Montreal team he got fired from.

I'm not saying he's Al Arbour, but I'd much rather have him than DJ Smith or another first-time junior or college coach.

Nobody is a slam dunk, btw.

FaIr enough. I’m on board with a fresher face but nothing long term is getting done anytime soon.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

Wednesday practice lines:

Tkachuk - Stützle - Giroux
DeBrincat - Brassard - Batherson
Motte - Pinto - Gambrell
Kelly - Kastelic - Watson

Chabot - JBD
Sanderson - Hamonic
Brannstrom - Holden

Joseph and Zaitsev are skating as extras.

DJ sending a real message.

Zub not even skating yet? We are so f***ed.

 

[DaveMatthew]

TSN1200 just had a Devils reporter on. She said that she looks at the Senators as "a couple of years behind" where the Devils are today.

That was depressing to hear.

 

[DaveMatthew]

Zub not even skating yet? We are so f***ed.

TSN1200 says Zub isn't going on the trip. So he's out for the next 2 at least.

4-10 here we come.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

TSN1200 says Zub isn't going on the trip. So he's out for the next 2 at least.

4-10 here we come.

That's a very long 1-2 weeks of injury.

Anyways, Zub would be great but it would also be nice to win at least one game without an upcoming UFA.

 

[Joeyjoejoe]

I would love to scoop up Andrew Brunette as a cheap option that also has NHL head coaching experience.

Presidents trophy with Florida in his first year.
Look at the devils team after he joined as an assistant.
Probably can get him on the cheap as he will be looking for a head coaching position.

 

[Bileur]

TSN1200 just had a Devils reporter on. She said that she looks at the Senators as "a couple of years behind" where the Devils are today.

That was depressing to hear.

I think many on here were unrealistic about the state on our defense. It has been obvious in each of the past 5 off seasons that the D wasn’t good enough. We still had people setting themselves up for disappointment thinking it would improve.

It was been crystal clear that this team needs to add a top four defenseman (or more) since Marc Methot left the team.

Five years of needing to add top 4 defense and only Zub and now Sanderson have been added in that time.

NJ added Hamilton and Graves last season and Marino this season. Three top 4 D added in two years. It’s obvious why NJ has taken the next step.

Dorion has shown he can’t build a proper defensive core and he has to go.

.