Toggle sidebar

Proposal: Fire DJ Smith

  • Work is still on-going to rebuild the site styling and features. Please report any issues you may experience so we can look into it. Click Here for Updates

Should the Sens fire DJ Smith?

  • Total voters
    176
  • Poll closed .
Status
Not open for further replies.
Should've been shitcanned after 10 games. He's notorious for awful starts and lo and behold, this is what, the 3rd or 4th awful start in a row? I was really hoping games would still be meaningful at Christmas but jfc even that was too big of an ask I guess.
 
  • Like
Reactions: NB613
Even without Norris and Formenton and Zub for a few weeks, he had more than enough personnel to have more wins in the bank at this point
 
  • Like
Reactions: NB613
Will be hilarious in 3 years when there is no Cat , Zub , Giroux anymore and were still bottom 5

At least Tyler Boucher will be top 10 in PIM in the league








But hey LOYALTY and analytics over wins anytime
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: L'Aveuglette, otown and robsenz
Liver King said:
Yeah I give him slack for that for sure, still don’t think he’s a good enough coach

4th year here, I’ve seen enough

Losing is a combination of things, I just think the coaching staff needs a change
Click to expand...

It is true that a Coach has a lifespan, and the message gets lost, the players tune out, or whatever….. I did not like the original hire of DJ as head coach, but realize that Ottawa being a small (Canadian) market has limitations of who they can hire, and those who want to come to a small ( Canadian) market. Over the past decade we’ve seen former NHL coaches hired, former assistant NHL coaches hired and a rookie(s) NHL coaches hired….. so perhaps the change, when made, will spark something.

 
Xspyrit said:
If the team is sold soon, why wasn’t done in the summer? So we could self-sabotage another season with DJ Dorion?
Click to expand...

I don’t think the owners care, they are just wondering if they get $200 or $300 million each.

For those who thought Dorion would
Do better without such an interfering owner - here’s your answer
 
  • Like
Reactions: Alex1234 and Bileur
Xspyrit said:
If the team is sold soon, why wasn’t done in the summer? So we could self-sabotage another season with DJ Dorion?
Click to expand...

DJ has 3 years remaining on his contract, you want to fire him and pay him, hire a new coach and pay him only to fire the new guy so that new ownership can bring in its own guys?

The mentality appears to have been this season will be DJ's chance to show what he can do with a competitive roster. Injuries have hindered that a bit, we looked good prior to the Norris and subsequent Zub injuries, but I feel like the losing streak sucked all the will to play out of the team and don't think DJ can recover from that.

At this point, we can ride it out or we can go with an interim coach until new ownership comes in, either way we aren't likely to turn anything around.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Alex1234 and Flamingo
Tuna99 said:
I don’t think the owners care, they are just wondering if they get $200 or $300 million each.

For those who thought Dorion would
Do better without such an interfering owner - here’s your answer
Click to expand...

Why wasn't the team for sale right away when Melnyk passed? Are his daughters fulfilling a dream or something? Maybe they were hoping that a good season would give them even more value?

Micklebot said:
DJ has 3 years remaining on his contract, you want to fire him and pay him, hire a new coach and pay him only to fire the new guy so that new ownership can bring in its own guys?

The mentality appears to have been this season will be DJ's chance to show what he can do with a competitive roster. Injuries have hindered that a bit, we looked good prior to the Norris and subsequent Zub injuries, but I feel like the losing streak sucked all the will to play out of the team and don't think DJ can recover from that.

At this point, we can ride it out or we can go with an interim coach until new ownership comes in, either way we aren't likely to turn anything around.
Click to expand...
3 years? I mean, 3 more yearsssssssssssssssssssssss? :scared:

The problem is no one in the organization has seen that DJ Smith simply doesn't have what it takes to coach a NHL team, particularly from a defensive standpoint. I mean, it has been pretty DAMN CLEAR to me for a while. This season, Dorion thought he could just replace Formenton, Brown and Paul by DeBrincat, Giroux and Joseph and that they were automatically going to be a playoffs team

But the whole mess they have created doesn't get fixed in 1 day. Remember all the things I have complained about over the years and how much heat I took for it? Like for example, how BAD OF AN IDEA it was to throw all these young players to the wolves with basically no quality veterans? It looks totally vindicated today
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Cosmix, Emrasie, Benjamin and 1 other person
Wallet Inspector said:
I honestly believe we're a good NHL team that's being held back by a mediocre OHL coach.
Click to expand...

I agree on the team being held back by a poor coach but this still isn’t a good team. The D just isn’t up to snuff. It still badly needs another top 4 guy.

That said I’m confident Chabot and Brannstrom would be better under a quality coach, so maybe that would negate some of the issue.
 
  • Like
Reactions: L'Aveuglette
Bileur said:
I agree on the team being held back by a poor coach but this still isn’t a good team. The D just isn’t up to snuff. It still badly needs another top 4 guy.

That said I’m confident Chabot and Brannstrom would be better under a quality coach, so maybe that would negate some of the issue.
Click to expand...

DJs team plays hockey like a bunch of friends who want to score and not a group of proffesionals who’s business is to win. The chemistry in the room seems amazing, which may be part of the problem. The players are leading the charge and not the coach.

DJ was a good personality to have when times were tough because you don’t want a coach that’s barking all the time and being negative with so many losses coming your way in a rebuild.

But DJ said himself last summer “judge me on next year” and “I’ve been prepping these players for 4 years to take the next step” and it’s a complete FACEPLANT.

The players play for points and on ice hugs - not wins. To much focus on individuals and their game and not enough focus on the dirty business of winning. They play for each other, but they play to impress each other and not impress the coach.

DJ hasn’t lost the room, he never owned it to begin with
 
  • Like
Reactions: NB613, Psycroptic86, Pierre from Orleans and 4 others
First off I doubt that Dorion has the go ahead to replace DJ with an outside coach due to pending sale so it’s DJ, Cap or Mann IMO. Having said that there are some major issues that are becoming endemic with this group.

DJ has a system no matter what posters think but he is not getting the players to commit to making it work. Two of the most glaring examples are Batherson and Stutzle. Batherson is on the wrong side of the puck almost every time there is a board battle, he looks lazy as shit in his own end. Stutzle is playing hero hockey more than he did as a rookie and it’s killing the team. It’s way more than those two but they are the most glaring examples. If there is accountability behind the scenes it’s not working and that is 100% on DJ, his staff and the leadership group.

Another worrying thing is DJ is starting to panic with his in game decisions, whether it’s playing Chabot for half the game, throwing 5 forwards on a PP or putting Chabot and Brannstrom together. These are done out of desperation and that’s not good.

The lazy penalties are killing this team and that lack of discipline points back to a lack of accountability in my opinion.

A new coach might not be able to solve these issues but at least we would know that this group needs a shakeup.

I am a patient person by nature but I’m pretty much done with this crap.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SweSensFan, Alex1234, Deku and 2 others
Micklebot said:
DJ has 3 years remaining on his contract, you want to fire him and pay him, hire a new coach and pay him only to fire the new guy so that new ownership can bring in its own guys?

The mentality appears to have been this season will be DJ's chance to show what he can do with a competitive roster. Injuries have hindered that a bit, we looked good prior to the Norris and subsequent Zub injuries, but I feel like the losing streak sucked all the will to play out of the team and don't think DJ can recover from that.

At this point, we can ride it out or we can go with an interim coach until new ownership comes in, either way we aren't likely to turn anything around.
Click to expand...
Agree but it was a really small sample
Zub is back now lets see how it goes (yesterday was terrible though even with him)
Norris injury derailed the centre line but at the same time all the team have injuries
 
Xspyrit said:
Why wasn't the team for sale right away when Melnyk passed? Are his daughters fulfilling a dream or something? Maybe they were hoping that a good season would give them even more value?


3 years? I mean, 3 more yearsssssssssssssssssssssss? :scared:

The problem is no one in the organization has seen that DJ Smith simply doesn't have what it takes to coach a NHL team, particularly from a defensive standpoint. I mean, it has been pretty DAMN CLEAR to me for a while. This season, Dorion thought he could just replace Formenton, Brown and Paul by DeBrincat, Giroux and Joseph and that they were automatically going to be a playoffs team

But the whole mess they have created doesn't get fixed in 1 day. Remember all the things I have complained about over the years and how much heat I took for it? Like for example, how BAD OF AN IDEA it was to throw all these young players to the wolves with basically no quality veterans? It looks totally vindicated today
Click to expand...
Some posters felt three things had to change to improve the team:
1. New owner with deep pockets willing to spend to the cap
2. New GM with experience and previous success
3. New Coach with experience and success

Number 1 is being addressed now and hopefully works out.

Numbers 2 and 3 will hopefully follow after number 1 is addressed.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Xspyrit
I love DJ the person but I am starting to get on board with the idea that change is needed. Our D is weak, our system needs to be one that adapts to the weakness. I don’t think our D are getting the support they need and they look even worse than they are.

I could be salty though. If we were over 500 I probably wouldn’t be saying this. I just want to win for a change. We have enough offensive skill that we will score goals, we need our players to buy into defence first.

But what do I know? Armchair quarterback here.
 
www.tsn.ca

Smith: We weren't patient enough

Sens head coach DJ Smith addresses the media following the team's 5-1 loss to the Devils.
www.tsn.ca www.tsn.ca

I mean DJ can undoubtedly break things down better than most if not all of us but... this sounds so out of touch with what I am seeing.

regardless of recent wins .. I don't watch and see that we are getting better. I don't hear that players are not executing basic fundamentals in our Dzone .. resulting in too many wide open grade A chances against. So much focus goes to not capitalizing.. sure but you have to be able to come out of our end.

Hamonic is the next victim from some of these guys on Sens Twitter.. but look at this play the goal was disallowed but still look at the gaping hole in front of the net... from full possession. Maybe its too basic for the winger to get to the hash marks on the boards for an exit pass vs trying to go up the middle. Tkachuk looks like he wants it up the middle and is late getting to the boards.. and everyone else is heading up ice ... This may be completely on the players but unless there is some accountability.. what changes. Is this us not capitalizing? And this gaping hole happens too often.. Will being better at this result in less attack?

This is basic defensive zone draw .. when you lose the draw defense. Its a mistake sure but one that can't happen at this level. You can't let that man go by you. (sorry to pick on JBD here)

The lack of execution on Fundamentals is costing us. Not lack of Patience. Not lack of finish (which we have had) . Timmy not picking up the Sharongovich on their SHG is a basic fundamental.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Nac Mac Feegle, senswon and JackieDaytona
Butchy Dakkar said:
I love DJ the person but I am starting to get on board with the idea that change is needed. Our D is weak, our system needs to be one that adapts to the weakness. I don’t think our D are getting the support they need and they look even worse than they are.

I could be salty though. If we were over 500 I probably wouldn’t be saying this. I just want to win for a change. We have enough offensive skill that we will score goals, we need our players to buy into defence first.

But what do I know? Armchair quarterback here.
Click to expand...

Yeah but one injury to Norris and our bottom-6 is ultra weak

Who could have seen this coming?

Motte-Brassard-Joseph
Kelly-Gambrell-Watson

I know lines are not necessarily spread like that, but this is absolutely awful, way under NHL average


Dorion went the wrong way. It's not DeBrincat he should have traded for, it's a Top-4 RHD and a winger on the cheap. And most importantly, should have kept the Brown-Paul duo together and happy. No disrespect to Joseph-Motte, they're just not on the same level

Tkachuk - Norris - Batherson
?????? - Stutzle - Giroux
Paul - Pinto - Brown
Crookshank - Kastelic - Motte/Watson
Kelly

Chabot - Top4RHD
Sanderson - Zub
Brannstrom - JBD
Holden

2nd line W based on budget available after the RHD cost and what possible (cheap) trade was out there
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: SweSensFan and Cosmix
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Top Bottom