Proposal: Fire DJ Smith

[Joeyjoejoe]

There is 1 apologist just 1 post before yours, unless you have him blocked, which is understandable.

 

[Larionov]

It's pretty clear by now that DJ isn't going anywhere until the end of the season. He is Dorion's guy, and I also don't believe that Dorion has the authority to go out and sign a new coach to a three year deal right now anyway. The sale of the club has put major transactions like that on hold.

I think it is equally clear that unless the club goes out and has an absolutely stellar second half of the season, either making the playoffs or coming extremely close, both the coach and GM will be cleared out when the new ownership group puts their own stamp on the franchise. It's pretty hard to imagine a new owner coming in, looking at a low profile coach and GM of a club that hasn't made the playoffs in six years and saying, "I think these are my guys."

 

[PatrickEaves]

lmaooo

I think we need to give DJ 10 more games because it's still too early.

 

[Pierre from Orleans]

Yea but our deserve to win meter record is solid.

 

[Ice-Tray]

Personally I want to see an end to the crazy dumb plays that lead to turn overs and goals, I want to see an end to the blind pass up the wall every time in the D zone when even I can see that no one is there, and I want to see an end to forwards leaving the zone before we have possession.

Chabot, Bath, and Brady need a serious education in two way play, like Stevie Y back in the day they need to buy in, and yes I’m mentioning Chabot for his D.

It’s a double edged sword, but I see our biggest issue right now being ‘brain farts’ and a lack of dedication to team defence. I saw a big change to Norris’ game to start the year where it looked like he was ‘getting it’ in terms of stretching his game to become a solid two way centre. The rest of the young stars need to follow suit, Stu as well, though he’s also trending that way already.

I can’t speak much for structure and coaching as I have zero experience there, but I want to see some anger now. Some accountability for the constant blunders that cost us games. Perhaps it’s time for a new sheriff in town.

 

[Mark Stones Spleen]

 

[Loach]

Personally I want to see an end to the crazy dumb plays that lead to turn overs and goals, I want to see an end to the blind pass up the wall every time in the D zone when even I can see that no one is there, and I want to see an end to forwards leaving the zone before we have possession.

Chabot, Bath, and Brady need a serious education in two way play, like Stevie Y back in the day they need to buy in, and yes I’m mentioning Chabot for his D.

It’s a double edged sword, but I see our biggest issue right now being ‘brain farts’ and a lack of dedication to team defence. I saw a big change to Norris’ game to start the year where it looked like he was ‘getting it’ in terms of stretching his game to become a solid two way centre. The rest of the young stars need to follow suit, Stu as well, though he’s also trending that way already.

I can’t speak much for structure and coaching as I have zero experience there, but I want to see some anger now. Some accountability for the constant blunders that cost us games. Perhaps it’s time for a new sheriff in town.

Is that really you? Lol. Just kidding.

 

[LevelingSolo]

This guy lol

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

This guy lol

Good example of why not to get too high or two low and make big statements from a couple wins. All those good vibes lost when they then come out and lose two in a row with lackluster efforts.

I think anyone expecting DJ back next year is out to lunch at this point.

 

[Ice-Tray]

My hot takes after half a season:

Brady: not playing mean, not playing heavy, not hitting to hurt, trying to be a finesse player. His role in the D zone is ineffective, whether that’s execution or role. This is not the Brady the league was talking about for the last few years. Causes zero scrums!

Batherson: plays light, gives away the puck routinely on zone entry, too many stick plays instead of body battles, looks easy to play against until he decides to ‘try’. Pretty much absent in the D zone.

Stu and Norris both look like they are paying particular attention to becoming two centres, great to see. Stu has been cutting down his terrible o zone giveaways.

Cat and G look like they learned how to play hockey on a different planet right now. Generally solid two way play deep in all zones, and solid effort at all times.

Pinto is too far up the line up and looks to be treading water.

Formy: fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhuu

Chabot needs to have his role reduced and get back to focusing on the basics of defending. He’s great in transition and the ozone, and can rush the puck. He’s also been flexing on his shot lately, but for a team leader his terrible give away plays in the D zone are back breaking.

Sanderson and Zub are bright consistent spots on D, which is especially a marvel for Sandy who seems to always make the right play no matter where he is. Hammy has been pretty darn good in his role, but should he #6 guy while Holden is #7.

Branstrom simply doesn’t have it. He can’t put up points, struggles to defend, and is also prone to giveaways due to losing battles or the occasional brain fart. He has skating agility but can’t produce with it. I want him to be something more, but he’s almost at the point where a dman is what he is in the NHL.

The bottom six is treading water, Kelly is wet tube when he hits like a truck, same with Watson and Kastelic. They were best when they were together and were told to go and pinball the other team. Now the bottom six is just kind of there.

Can a coach change fix all these things? Who knows, but I am getting tired of the simple mistakes and now a lack of effort and jam. Haven’t seen the team I live in a while now.

Goals ending has been effective for the most part, but it’s hard to tell when guys have to make so many scrambly saves.

 

[Sun God Nika]

I’m torn on firing DJ. At one side the players like him more than any sens coach was liked by players before. The other side he is the losingest coach in sens history there is no structure offensively or defensively special teams are good just because of the raw talent we have and to DJs credit he is a part of the reason Stutzle Norris Batherson etc came out the way they did.

I think it is time for a new voice , scratch that a proven voice someone that has found success behind a bench and not Marc Crawford someone that has done it in the last decade at least.

I think coach Alain Vigneult is what the sens need. A guy who took two separate teams to a Stanley cup final and has won multiple president trophies.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

I’m torn on firing DJ. At one side the players like him more than any sens coach was liked by players before. The other side he is the losingest coach in sens history there is no structure offensively or defensively special teams are good just because of the raw talent we have and to DJs credit he is a part of the reason Stutzle Norris Batherson etc came out the way they did.

I think it is time for a new voice , scratch that a proven voice someone that has found success behind a bench and not Marc Crawford someone that has done it in the last decade at least.

I think coach Allen Vigneult is what the sens need. A guy who took two separate teams to a Stanley cup final and has won multiple president trophies.

For a few of the players .. he is the only NHL coach they've ever had and for some he licks their boots

 

[Bileur]

For a few of the players .. he is the only NHL coach they've ever had and for some he licks their boots

Not to mention Bryan Murray would like to have a word.

 

[Micklebot]

Good example of why not to get too high or two low and make big statements from a couple wins. All those good vibes lost when they then come out and lose two in a row with lackluster efforts.

I think anyone expecting DJ back next year is out to lunch at this point.

Err... We're 12-8-2 in our last 20 games even with the two loses, that's a quarter of the season at a 107 pts pace, you're saying the most recent two games is the reason you don't let a couple wins skew your perception but doing exactly that with two loses.

I don't expect DJ back next year, I think the odds were slim at best regardless of our record, but I think it's unfair to dismiss the previous 18 games because of the most recent two either.

 

[Xspyrit]

Agree
At this point in the season we are what we are
The 24th team of the league

Wasting potential being lead by Pierre Dorion and DJ Smith

Nice guys but I seriously doubt this team can take the next level with them at the helm. Coaching holds this team back and I think very few people still don't realize it. And regarding management, Dorion makes some good moves but he makes too many costly mistakes and just can't get it done in terms of roster construction. Just having DeMelo, Paul and Brown instead of Hamonic, Joseph and Motte would make a gigantic difference.

 

[LevelingSolo]

I’m torn on firing DJ. At one side the players like him more than any sens coach was liked by players before. The other side he is the losingest coach in sens history there is no structure offensively or defensively special teams are good just because of the raw talent we have and to DJs credit he is a part of the reason Stutzle Norris Batherson etc came out the way they did.

I think it is time for a new voice , scratch that a proven voice someone that has found success behind a bench and not Marc Crawford someone that has done it in the last decade at least.

I think coach Allen Vigneult is what the sens need. A guy who took two separate teams to a Stanley cup final and has won multiple president trophies.

He has ties to Ottawa so he has that going for him, wonder if he want's to be a head coach again though

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

Err... We're 12-8-2 in our last 20 games even with the two loses, that's a quarter of the season at a 107 pts pace, you're saying the most recent two games is the reason you don't let a couple wins skew your perception but doing exactly that with two loses.

I don't expect DJ back next year, I think the odds were slim at best regardless of our record, but I think it's unfair to dismiss the previous 18 games because of the most recent two either.

Fair point, I put that poorly as that tweet was obviously not in response to a couple games only and I didnt mean to imply I was either, more pointing out what I see. A couple wins and the vibe is high and some people want to start calling them important games and asking for Sorry DJ chants. A couple losses and the playoffs look completely out of reach again and its back to calling for his head for many. A 20 game stretch is nice, but I just find it a bit strange to throw over the top support his way considering where they still are and how his tenure has gone. Feels like celebrating mediocrity. They've gotten better results over a decent stretch as you point out, but with few positives during previous years and their current standing at .500 or below for a bit, I guess Im just not someone that sees it as worthy of praise yet and tweets like that are sort of asking for criticism if the team comes out and lays 2 eggs right after, even if yes, thats actually the other side of the fence overreacting, not Senschirp.

I'm honestly indifferent to DJ. He's a placeholder and I see it as basically fact that he won't be back next year regardless of the results, so its just a matter of playing out the stretch here imo. Its great that it hasn't fallen in to disaster and DJ deserves some credit for that. I guess some people like to build positive vibes and pat him on the back and thats just not my way. I look at this season as a disappointment and wondering what needs to change as the priority the rest of the way.

 

[PatrickEaves]

Err... We're 12-8-2 in our last 20 games even with the two loses, that's a quarter of the season at a 107 pts pace, you're saying the most recent two games is the reason you don't let a couple wins skew your perception but doing exactly that with two loses.

I don't expect DJ back next year, I think the odds were slim at best regardless of our record, but I think it's unfair to dismiss the previous 18 games because of the most recent two either.

You're right, it's unfair to dismiss the previous 18 games. But of course it's perfectly fair to dismiss the 20 games before those 18 those.

 

[Micklebot]

You're right, it's unfair to dismiss the previous 18 games. But of course it's perfectly fair to dismiss the 20 games before those 18 those.

In an article talking about how hard he worked to improve on past results? I think the previous 20 acted as a foil to the more recent 20. The whole point was to highlight the improvement, who is dismissing anything?

 

[aragorn]

You know why they are having so much success scoring? They aren't afraid to play talented players in their bottom 6.

DJ is a dinosaur and isn't interested in playing young talented players in the bottom 6.

Meanwhile Seattle is more than willing to play offense-first guys like Sprong, Tolvanen and Donato in bottom 6 roles.

Those 3 have more points than Gambrell, Kelly, Kastelic, Watson, Brassard, Lucchini and Chartier combined, and it isn't even close.

Who in this org would you play in the bottom six over the guys that are there now?

When Norris gets back, he gets inserted into the top six which pushes Pinto down a line. Next yr if they don't trade Formenton & he is signed & returns gives Ottawa two good scoring players for the 3rd line & next yr is when Sokolov should be promoted to created a scoring 3rd line of Formenton, Pinto & Sokolov. All the guys you mentioned with the exception of Kastelic should be replaced including Motte & Joseph.

At some point, probably in a yr or so I would like to see Ostapchuk replace Kelly at LW 4th line & Boucher to start in Ottawa at 4th line RW with Kastelic at centre. IMO these 3 could add more offence than what we have now for the 4th line & the 3 above could bring more offence to the 3rd line than the 3 we have now. Greig should replace whoever I have added that turns out isn't as good as we thought or Formenton at 3rd line LW if he doesn't return. & that should increade bottom six scoring. I think that could fix the bottom six in a yr or two. The other option is to make trades to bring in other players, but that hasn't been that effective for us in the past.

 

[Alf Silfversson]

Err... We're 12-8-2 in our last 20 games even with the two loses, that's a quarter of the season at a 107 pts pace, you're saying the most recent two games is the reason you don't let a couple wins skew your perception but doing exactly that with two loses.

I don't expect DJ back next year, I think the odds were slim at best regardless of our record, but I think it's unfair to dismiss the previous 18 games because of the most recent two either.

12-8-2 (22 games) is more like a 97 point pace. Not bad but not even a 100% guaranteed playoff spot.

The other 18 games is 6-11-1. Which is top 3 pick level.

Not much for a coach to hang his hat on here.

 

[bashbros32]

Brady: not playing mean, not playing heavy, not hitting to hurt. This is not the Brady the league was talking about for the last few years. Causes zero scrums!

Batherson: plays light, gives away the puck routinely on zone entry. looks easy to play against until he decides to ‘try’. Pretty much absent in the D zone.

Chabot: terrible give away plays in the D zone are back breaking.

The bottom six is treading water

A lot of this sorta sounds (and feels whilst watching games) like lethargy... certain players appear to be playing fairly... lackadaisical... getting by on skill alone and not doing the sorts of things that got them to the show and gave them the good names they have league wide...

I'm starting to wonder (PURELY SPECULATION) if these "leaders" on the team, after approaching their GM and informing him that it was "time" to improve the team and make a push, saw the moves made in the offseason, and realized fairly quickly that, it wasn't enough, and also wasn't the right TYPES of moves... the team NEEDED a better option on D... Hamonic (as decent as he's been) should NEVER have been in a position to get consistent top 4 minutes, and were running with a tandem that, although fairly good... are quite inconsistent, and literally a journeyman league-wide 1B, and a freaking waiver wire pickup. Any potential permanent starter (at least from within) is years away, and the team didn't address it's biggest weakness... defense...

Now I'm not suggesting that 3 multi-millionaires are "phoning" the season in... but not one of them is playing like their usual selves... and that is a huge part of the problem... the ONE game we saw the #1 power forward in the league do his thing with the extremity and intensity we all know and love our captain for, was the NYR game..

after the NYR game the team proceeded to finish the month of December with 7 wins and 6 losses., and so far in January we are 2 and 2. So, since our captains huge statement game, the team has gone 9-8 (not tallying otls, if someone else wants to to make themselves feel better have at it)

Doesn't exactly scream turning things around and righting the ship to me.

 

[Micklebot]

12-8-2 (22 games) is more like a 97 point pace. Not bad but not even a 100% guaranteed playoff spot.

The other 18 games is 6-11-1. Which is top 3 pick level.

Not much for a coach to hang his hat on here.

My bad, I initially was writing about the previous 20 games to the loses then changed it up and forgot to fix the pace, we were on a 107 pts pace over 20 games then lost 2 putting us down to 97 pts pace over the last 22.

The 7 game losing streak killed us, playing without Zub, Norris and Talbot coming off missing extended time was a tough ask for a young team with issues at RD and inexperienced centers and they didn't step up. You can't ignore those games, but you can view them with that context in mind, and while close only counts in horshoes and hand grenades they were all games where we lost by a single goal not including empty nets, the record could easily have been better.

DJ to me is a very average coach. He's not terrible but he's not great either. Combine that with a roster with obvious flaws and a few injuries and this is what you get.

 

[Que]

I died a little inside laughing.

 

[JD1]

More simple +/- numbers
After 40 games Sens have allowed 26 more goals than they have scored at even strength. 74 vs 100

Tkachuk Stutzle Giroux -23
DeBrincat Pinto Batherson -56
Brass Kasty Watson -17
Kelly Gambrell Lucchini -7

(note I have only added (+-) across usual lines .. the actual more numerous line mate +/- results are not listed)
D
Chabot -8
Zub 0
Sanderson -3
Hamonic -11
Brann -4
Holden -6

We do need to tighten up defensively and I agree that the odd sitting a player down here or there to send a message would help. I'm not sure we have the bench strength to do that

But there's also no way to have decent 5 on 5 numbers if you are not scoring. We've scored 63 at 5 on 5. The mid point in the league is 86. I haven't a clue how to score more. The grade A chances are there. We're not going anywhere without getting that scoring to at least the league mid point.