Proposal: Fire DJ Smith

[Alf Silfversson]

Has everyone come to their senses again and gotten back on the Fire DJ train?

Some of us never left.

 

[Psycroptic86]

Some of us never left.

I haven't changed my mind on DJ at all.

 

[Very Stable Genius]

Smith believes the Senators are night and day different from the developing young group of the past few seasons. Now, he more or less knows who the starters are, and the focus is on winning, not player development.

“I feel a different air of confidence in them,” Smith said.

The players, Smith said, believe they are ready to become one of the really good teams in the league, and out of the doormat stage. That is one of the reasons players arrived early for camp and have been skating regularly – including an early morning skate prior to Tuesday’s charity golf tournament.


“It’s clear to me that they’re sick of losing night after night and sick of being at the bottom (of the standings),” Smith said.

“Part of the rebuild is getting beat up, and we took a lot of tough lickings a lot of nights,” Smith added. “These kids are excited to fight back for their city, and so are we as a coaching staff . . . at the golf course (Tuesday), people are coming over (to me) and are as excited as I’ve seen going into a season – now it’s up to us to make them proud.”

To be one of those playoff teams, Smith says the group has to learn to have an even temperament, after wins and losses. Younger players sometimes take losses too hard and get carried away after wins.

Consistent play and approach will look after the victories, Smith says, including to start the season, which has hurt Ottawa the last couple of years.

Well, this has certainly gone to plan...

 

[Tnuoc Alucard]

So why the f*** did we get all these players and talk about making the playoffs? This is a goddamn joke. I am tired of this. I've been a fan since 1992. Since the Chris Phillips draft. I am tired of watching this team look like shit for seven years. Not worth it for me to watch these games on most nights this year.

Well to be fair, no one from the Senators talked about ”making the playoffs” over the summer, at training camp or at any point during the season…. The most anyone from the organization has said, is to “ be playing meaningful games, late in the season”.

"Not hard enough". We hear it over and over.

That’s what she said

 

[Loach]

I missed the game. TSN says that Winnipeg was playing their back up and 7 regulars out of the lineup? DJ says that they weren't ready to play and didn't play hard enough....

Is this true? Again...

 

[operasen]

Nothing will happen to DJ or PD until new ownership arrives. It’s getting close. I just want new ownership to select a winning pedigree and systems centric assistants. This group is maturing together nicely and with new inspiration will not fall apart in frustration.

 

[DylanSensFan]

Well to be fair, no one from the Senators talked about ”making the playoffs” over the summer, at training camp or at any point during the season…. The most anyone from the organization has said, is to “ be playing meaningful games, late in the season”.


That’s what she said

I guess you're correct.

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

Nothing will happen to DJ or PD until new ownership arrives. It’s getting close. I just want new ownership to select a winning pedigree and systems centric assistants. This group is maturing together nicely and with new inspiration will not fall apart in frustration.

It's perfect timing for a new coaching staff and GM to step in this coming summer.

 

[Cosmix]

It's perfect timing for a new coaching staff and GM to step in this coming summer.

I would dump Dorion asap so he cannot do any more damage.

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

I would dump Dorion asap so he cannot do any more damage.

I like his re-signings, but I hope we get someone else to guide things from here. I'll be surprised if both Dorion and DJ are here by next training camp.

 

[Tuna99]

Well to be fair, no one from the Senators talked about ”making the playoffs” over the summer, at training camp or at any point during the season…. The most anyone from the organization has said, is to “ be playing meaningful games, late in the season”.


That’s what she said

the real stated goal of the Sens this year os “we just don’t want to suck but that doesn’t mean we want to be a playoff team”

One of the problems with this team is they are afraid of expectations because they never meet them, and so they say things like “play meaningful games at the end of year” which of course means nothing and of course they won’t be doing, but it also makes the first 30 games irrelevant because Everyone just defaults to the excuse of “the goal is to play meaningful games in March not December” and so even limited expectations aren’t met, and no one can be held accountable from the back up goalie to the GM because they have no real goals.

You can’t have a real team if your goal is to be in the mushy bottom half of the NHL after 4 years of rebuilding

 

[LevelingSolo]

Has everyone come to their senses again and gotten back on the Fire DJ train?

Never left that train. I've wanted him gone since last season

 

[CorrectOpinion]

I wish Guy Boucher was still here. He was cool.

 

[DJB]

This fool gotta go

 

[maclean]

Has everyone come to their senses again and gotten back on the Fire DJ train?

I have always been a bit of a fence-sitter because at the end of the day my opinion doesn't particularly matter. But this year has definitely convinced me we need a new coach to move forward and the brief winning streak did nothing to affect that. The realist in me says it won't happen until new ownership comes in, but my patience is being worn.

 

[jbeck5]

Jason York said everything is in a holding pattern for the Sens right now to keep their books even for the new owners (ie they won’t hire a new coach and add $2 million to the payroll right now). It’ll be DJ for the season apparently until the team is actually in the hands of new ownership

I always hear that but then I often see moves to the contrary.

Example, signing zub to a $18,400,000 million dollar deal.

If we can add almost 20 million to the books over the next few years for a #3-4 defenseman, we can add a couple million a year for a head coach.

I'm not saying teams for sale aren't less likely to make moves to disrupt budgets...but this idea that teams can't make any moves is silly. Organizations that are for sale still make sales and purchases. They still run the business. If there's an important move to be made, it will be made.

 

[slamigo]

I always hear that but then I often see moves to the contrary.

Example, signing zub to a $18,400,000 million dollar deal.

If we can add almost 20 million to the books over the next few years for a #3-4 defenseman, we can add a couple million a year for a head coach.

I'm not saying teams for sale aren't less likely to make moves to disrupt budgets...but this idea that teams can't make any moves is silly. Organizations that are for sale still make sales and purchases. They still run the business. If there's an important move to be made, it will be made.

My guess is that Dorion likely had approval to offer that contract since back in the summer. This is an expected and reasonable contract extension, not really a new item per se.
I wonder if he has authority for a DeBrincat extension as well? These types of moves could be seen as solidifying and enhancing the team, possibly making it more attractive to a potential buyer. Maybe.

 

[Tuna99]

I always hear that but then I often see moves to the contrary.

Example, signing zub to a $18,400,000 million dollar deal.

If we can add almost 20 million to the books over the next few years for a #3-4 defenseman, we can add a couple million a year for a head coach.

I'm not saying teams for sale aren't less likely to make moves to disrupt budgets...but this idea that teams can't make any moves is silly. Organizations that are for sale still make sales and purchases. They still run the business. If there's an important move to be made, it will be made.

Zub doesn’t kick in until next year and in theory you could balance the books with money out. Hiring a coach now chnages the books that are under review and adds millions in expenses to a team being audited at the moment

 

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

I swear to God the team has no idea what they are doing 5on5.

Get him out.

 

[Alex1234]

Behind DET, BUF,VAN and MTL

What else do you want?

Solid bottom feeder season AGAIN

I always hear that but then I often see moves to the contrary.

Example, signing zub to a $18,400,000 million dollar deal.

If we can add almost 20 million to the books over the next few years for a #3-4 defenseman, we can add a couple million a year for a head coach.

I'm not saying teams for sale aren't less likely to make moves to disrupt budgets...but this idea that teams can't make any moves is silly. Organizations that are for sale still make sales and purchases. They still run the business. If there's an important move to be made, it will be made.

Those millions dollars coaches are not buddy-buddy with the country club
They probably clean the house and make their own decisions and win
It's not the Sens mentality

 

[HSF]

Well to be fair, no one from the Senators talked about ”making the playoffs” over the summer, at training camp or at any point during the season…. The most anyone from the organization has said, is to “ be playing meaningful games, late in the season”.


That’s what she said

tbh

We aren't playing meaningful games going forward

 

[NB613]

Has everyone come to their senses again and gotten back on the Fire DJ train?

Never exited that caboose!

 

[Tuna99]

tbh

We aren't playing meaningful games going forward

it’s not even that they won’t play meaningful games in March, it’s that they are playing right now like the games have no meaning. That effort last night was sad, so many of the big ticket guys not playing 2-way and just a general lack of pride in the crest.

this team isn’t sophisticated at all. they have no leadership To make guys like Tkachuk or Batherson play 2-way hockey.

 

[NewEraGM]

Can Ottawa pls pass Montreal!!

 

[Sens Vader]

I honestly don’t know how he’s survived this long

But if we are on a holding pattern until new owners arrive it’s understandable. Depressing but understandable