Proposal: Fire DJ Smith

Should the Sens fire DJ Smith?


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HSF

Registered User
Sep 3, 2008
26,562
7,985
Even if we all agreed he was doing a shit job as a coach this year, lording that stat over him like we didn't have one of the worst rosters for 5 years running is beyond ridiculous. Why is it so hard to understand that both things can be true at the same time?
0-10-1 this year

Are we going to continuously make excuses for DJ?

We are expansion level bad.
 

Alex1234

Registered User
Oct 14, 2014
16,689
6,795
Starting last season (when wins were expected from management) he is 41-55-8 for .432 win%
 
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Alf Silfversson

Registered User
Jun 8, 2011
6,086
5,239
Even if we all agreed he was doing a shit job as a coach this year, lording that stat over him like we didn't have one of the worst rosters for 5 years running is beyond ridiculous. Why is it so hard to understand that both things can be true at the same time?

Not a good stand alone stat to measure DJ's effectiveness, for sure.

But we can just throw it on the mounting pile of evidence that the guy is not a good NHL head coach.
 

HSF

Registered User
Sep 3, 2008
26,562
7,985
Not a good stand alone stat to measure DJ's effectiveness, for sure.

But we can just throw it on the mounting pile of evidence that the guy is not a good NHL head coach.
It pretty much tells us that if the team is down after 40 mins to turn off the tv :naughty:
 

Xspyrit

DJ Dorion
Jun 29, 2008
31,779
10,665
Montreal, Canada
It pretty much tells us that if the team is down after 40 mins to turn off the tv :naughty:

Or that it's just time to start listening to something more exciting

1670001856024.png
 

BankStreetParade

Registered User
Jan 22, 2013
7,096
4,468
Ottawa
I see your point, but what that stat says that the team kinda gives up if they are losing. This is partly on the shoulders of the coach. My expectations are that the stat should be better. Not amazing, But not abysmal as it is now.

For the me that stat the damns DJ is the defensive record. There is absolutely no improvement in his tenure.
GF
GA​
P1
22​
22​
P2
20​
28​
P3
24​
23​
I don't think the stats really entertain that notion. Keep in mind, that P3 Goals Against includes 8 ENG by opposing teams. All things equal, the third period has been by far our best period of hockey and suggests the team is not giving up when losing. In fact, we're top 12 in the league in 3P Goals Against and all the teams ahead of us (aka with lower GA) are playoff teams.

With that said, I don't think we've scored a single goal with the goalie pulled (tied last in the league in that category) and we've given up 8 ENGs (T-2 in the league) so we're definitely really bad with the goalie pulled and I'd be interested to know how much coaching plays a role in those 2 stats. Are they really bad at Xs and Os? Are the players too tired at the end of the game? Are the players not focused enough? Are they getting bad bounces? Is it a matter of recent change in tactics that sees teams launch pucks from their own end at empty nets with a far higher frequency which results in more ENGs?
 

Burrowsaurus

Registered User
Mar 20, 2013
44,528
17,529
Brannstrom out Zaitsev in.

As I expected DJ is salivating over a Holden-zaitsev shutdown pair

i bet DJ drove to Belleville to pick up Nikita personally.
Theory is Dorion told him he is talking to other coaches and dj is going down his way. Which is with Zaitsev in the lineup
 

Golden_Jet

Registered User
Sep 21, 2005
26,439
13,730
Brannstrom out Zaitsev in.

As I expected DJ is salivating over a Holden-zaitsev shutdown pair


Theory is Dorion told him he is talking to other coaches and dj is going down his way. Which is with Zaitsev in the lineup
Do you have a link, or is it the parody one, that says that.
 

Flamingo

Registered User
Nov 13, 2008
8,012
2,171
Ottawa
Brannstrom out Zaitsev in.

As I expected DJ is salivating over a Holden-zaitsev shutdown pair


Theory is Dorion told him he is talking to other coaches and dj is going down his way. Which is with Zaitsev in the lineup

Oh, that's interesting. Dorion is green-lit to spend on another coach? I wonder who he could convince to sign a one-year contract.
 

Burrowsaurus

Registered User
Mar 20, 2013
44,528
17,529
Do you have a link, or is it the parody one, that says that.
Parody I got foooooooled

Oh, that's interesting. Dorion is green-lit to spend on another coach? I wonder who he could convince to sign a one-year contract.
Parody.

But I think if we hired a left star coach the next GM isn’t firing him. Or we get trotz who then becomes GM with new ownership in
 

Loach

Registered User
Jun 9, 2021
3,510
2,497
I agree that it's not a good stat to use to evaluate him, for a number of reasons. So I am not "lording it over him".

But I don't know what would be a good stat. Which is my question.
Hmmm. Time being coached by DJ.
Brady, Batherson, Chabot, Brann - 3 years + this year
Watson, Stu, Zub - 2 years + this year
Zaitsev - whole NHL career

Seasoned veterans who have played for multiple coaches - Giroux, Brassard, Hamonic

None of them can play his system?
 

Loach

Registered User
Jun 9, 2021
3,510
2,497
Without being sarcastic, can anyone describe our system? 'Cause if I'm being honest, I can't.
They should know it though right? 3 - 4 training camps plus 2 - 3 seasons, depending on the player... Maybe DJ is a bad coach.
 

Masked

(Super/star)
Apr 16, 2017
6,842
5,101
They got the donuts? Excellent....
Hmmm. Time being coached by DJ.
Brady, Batherson, Chabot, Brann - 3 years + this year
Watson, Stu, Zub - 2 years + this year
Zaitsev - whole NHL career

Seasoned veterans who have played for multiple coaches - Giroux, Brassard, Hamonic

None of them can play his system?

They can but it takes until the midpoint of the season before they seem to figure it out.

Assen na yo!
 

Tuna99

Registered User
Sep 26, 2009
16,032
7,978
DJ Smith faceplants his way into another season, puts Zaitsev in the lineup:

Q: “How do you beat the Rangers tonight?”
D.J. “It’s about execution so we expect a better result tonight”

Sens Nation “Are you f***ing serious D.J., I’ve seen the same open slot and merry-go-round defence from your team for 4 years and your answer is Zaitsev and a pep talk. f*** YOU”
 

GCK

Registered User
Oct 15, 2018
16,657
10,869
Somehow these expected goals and high-danger shot rates always suggest we’re better than our record.

It seems to me that we don’t pounce on rebounds or deflect shots as much. Do we just not have a plan to crowd the crease when we get these shots?


Most of our forwards are pretty soft and are easily deterred or pushed out of the net front.
 

GCK

Registered User
Oct 15, 2018
16,657
10,869
Without being sarcastic, can anyone describe our system? 'Cause if I'm being honest, I can't.
I can’t describe it in detail but the highlights.

Dump and chase, DJ likes this because we used to get crushed by rush chances against. Fans hate it because we aren’t very good at retrieval. I side with the fans here.

Our in zone D system is basically a man to man system with switching. Most teams do a similar thing. We don’t execute it well, one breakdown leads to another and then we collapse to the front of the net.

Our forecheck has me baffled, it’s not overly consistent and our F2 and F3 seem to mix up who is who regularly.

Our PK system is actually very good and the forwards are reading each other well. Unfortunately the personnel we use is challenged for speed.

Our PP is very vanilla with us relying on the cross seam pass for the one timer and now we seem to use the pass from down low to the bumper exclusively. It would be nice to mix up bumper plays, cross seam one timers and shots from the point depending what the opposing PK is giving us rather than repeatedly force feeding the same thing.

DJ is basically Bruce Boudreau without the ability to coach a killer PP.
 
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HSF

Registered User
Sep 3, 2008
26,562
7,985
was interesting hearing Jon Cooper today on Sportsnet 590 about how he has Serge on his top PP now and how he talked to Hedman about how he is still the top guy but that they needed to make ana adujustment for now

imagine having a coach who can make adjustments? Imagine giving Sanderson and Brannstrom top PP mins and not Chabot for a while?

Someone show this to DJ Smith and his coaching staff.


another team who rebuilt their defense through trades and free agency

dorion should learn from this aswell
 
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