News Article: Sens hire DJ Smith as head coach

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

Melnyk is a genius. Calls him No D Dubas to trick him into letting us talk to Smith and hire him as HC.

Melnyk playing chess while the rest of us are playing checkers.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

I'm skeptical too. I just feel a lot of people are reacting with near 0 knowledge about the coach.

Which is why i don't comment on if it is good or bad. I don't know.

But you seems to know about him and some other too

From what i heard, he was seen as a potential good HC for the NHL. But that's it.

We judge based on what we know, that's how I try to do it.

He was, by far, the least experienced of all the candidates. Considering how many coached we've had since Murray, this is very concerning.

 

[Cheapseats]

Some pretty negative comments about a guy who nobody really knows how he will do as coach of this team. Shouldn't we at least give him a chance before we tar & feather him & run him out of town? Where is our sense of fairness? Let's see how he does before we tear him to shreds & no one hates the Leafs, Babcock & everything Toronto more than I do.

Its not as much hate as it is "This is the best we could do?" The reality is that the team is going to be dung next year no matter whos behind the bench.

 

[scallionjj11]

Typical Dorion with that smug look

 

[Samsquanch]

Some pretty negative comments about a guy who nobody really knows how he will do as coach of this team. Shouldn't we at least give him a chance before we tar & feather him & run him out of town? Where is our sense of fairness? Let's see how he does before we tear him to shreds & no one hates the Leafs, Babcock & everything Toronto more than I do.

Oh poor DJ, already getting attacked on day 1...

Our general sense of fairness went out the window when we lost all of our best players due to money, and how we are continuously being asked by our management and ownership to give them the benefit of the doubt - and all the while they're still making all of their decisions based on money.

Like we need to stop with the f***ing money ball approach to hiring coaches. How fair is it for life long fans of this team to continuously watch them pass up on better (but more expensive) options. This screams of the Boudreau situation right before Dorion hired Boucher. I gave them the benefit of the doubt back then, but that ship has long sailed. Its going to take a massive amount of convincing on DJ's part before Im at peace with us not hiring Roy or Martin.

Show me, DJ. Period.

 

[Cheapseats]

Melnyk is a genius. Calls him No D Dubas to trick him into letting us talk to Smith and hire him as HC.

Melnyk playing chess while the rest of us are playing checkers.

He's playing connect 4 when the rest of us are playing tic tac toe

 

[Do Make Say Think]

Wouldn't that be Mann? It would have been very easy to name him coach and he would have been the cheapest.

Troy Mann has 8 seasons as a head coach. DJ Smith has 3.

 

[Engineer]

So are Groulx, Raymond, & Kelly also out?

 

[BonkTastic]

Fun Facts about DJ Smith:

- Apparently he was the Islanders top choice for HC before Trotz became avail.
- We (Ottawa) asked the Leafs for permission to interview Smith back in 2016... Toronto declined.
- Smith was Babcock's heir apparent as HC before Dubas took the GM job and gave the "heir apparent" title to Sheldon Keefe
- is APPARENTLY known as a defence-first coach, despite Maple Leaf's woes at the position. Consistently had great defences in Major Junior. Known for institutung aggressive forcheck system that creates turnovers.
- Won the 2015 Memorial Cup as head coach for Oshawa, and two Mem Cups as asst coach in Windsor.
- Combined 135-53-16 record as head coach in OHL with Oshawa
- in March 2018, was voted "assistant coach most deserving of HC job" in anonymous poll by NHL players (8.3% out of 216 votes cast)

 

[DJB]

Lol what a joke.

This guy had terrible defence deployment and awful special teams.

Embrace the tank!!

 

[PoutineSp00nZ]

Another barely known budget hire with his first head coaching gig in the NHL.

Fantastic.

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

Joking aside. I mean the guy is a players coach apparently and we're going to have a young team of nobodies. Maybe he is not the worst choice. I don't even care who the coach is but I have one question......

Why is a head coach named before a POHO?

 

[FormentonTheFuture]

Troy Mann has 8 seasons as a head coach.

Yes, in the AHL.

 

[BonkTastic]

A few other options that could be added:

-Responds to a question in a condescending, exasperated near-whisper
-Mentions they were 1 goal away from the Stanley Cup Final
-Mentions his sons hockey
-References himself in third person

There's only so many boxes to go around, haha...

 

[Senscore]

 

[Cheapseats]

Typical Dorion with that smug look

I cant wait for the smug press conference in which he will claim high 5s and hugs coming from all corners of the NHL. He's a genius, just ask him, he'll tell ya!

 

[YouGotAStuGoing]

Our analytics-inclined posters are sure to love him!!!!

 

[Hale The Villain]

Our analytics-inclined posters are sure to love him!!!!

Boro captaincy confirmed.

 

[DrakeAndJosh]

Lets just wait and see. He actually seems to tick off a lot of boxes that we wanted in a new coach. Successful with young players, liked by players, respected around the league. Yes the leafs defence was bad but that’s mainly because they have bad defencemen. I’d rather this than McLellan or Tippett.

 

[BonkTastic]

Dude is going to LOVE Boro, I guess...

 

[Samsquanch]

I cant wait for the smug press conference in which he will claim high 5s and hugs coming from all corners of the NHL. He's a genius, just ask him, he'll tell ya!

Its his second proudest day as a GM. Nothing will ever top trading Stone though.

 

[Engineer]

Not a loaded question intended at all, just curious, is D.J. Smith bilingual?

 

[Do Make Say Think]

Yes, in the AHL.

And DJ Smith has 3 years of HC experience in Junior.

Mann is far more experienced

 

[Cat Herder]

All his HC experience is from junior: he coached Oshawa from 12-13 to 14-15, he won the Memorial Cup and then was hire as the Leaf's D coach from 2015 to, unfortunately, today.

He could be good but everything says we have every right to be skeptical: cheapest option and the least HC experience from all the candidates.

For what it is worth, Shawn Simpson who worked for the Leafs, absolutely hates DJ Smith.

Simpson seems to not like quite a few people though

Also Simpson was gone from the Leafs long before Smith arrived, so I am not sure how Simpson working for the Leafs makes a difference

 

[Do Make Say Think]

Not a loaded question intended at all, just curious, is D.J. Smith bilingual?

He's from Southern Ontario so I'm 99% certain that he isn't. It is too bad (I'm a francophone) but hey, the last one was and it didn't amount to much!