It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Sens fans across the globe, and there is one person who deserves most of the blame for this losing streak…. Head coach, DJ Smith.
Ciao. Adios. Au Revoir! Just some of the ways to tell DJ Smith goodbye and that your coaching duties are no longer required for the Ottawa Senators.
Bringing DJ Smith into an organization like the Sens (going through a rebuild, and having young prospects) wasn’t the smartest decision by Senators GM Pierre Dorion knowing he was lacking head coach experience in the NHL. Going through a rebuild, you would think they would hire a coach with more knowledge of what it takes to groom a young team and help acclimate them to the rigours of an NHL schedule, but no.
DJ’s line combinations are just not working. You take away a productive line like Paul, Tierney, and C. Brown and break them up, to then putting Stepan with Reilly on the first Powerplay unit. ARE YOU KIDDING ME DJ SMITH!? You want to insulate the kids’ minutes, fine, but they don’t come much easier than on the powerplay!
Here let me help you:
Batherson, Stutzle, Norris, Tkachuk, and Chabot. Boom! There is your first powerplay unit!
Not only is DJ screwing up the line combinations, and giving more ice time to veteran players that don’t deserve it, but they’re also taking stupid penalties. You have Reilly making constant mistakes, turning the puck over and allowing the opposing team to capitalize on his mistakes time after time. You have Coburn who looks like he’s ready to retire and play golf (he just seems uninterested at times out there). Then there’s Paquette who doesn’t like to pass or back check. Last but not least, Derek Stepan. Rumours circling around the NHL that he wants out of Ottawa, doesn’t get along with his coach and misses his family back in Arizona, but DJ continuously puts him out there. I really don’t get it. It boggles my mind and I know the rest of Sens Nation can agree with me.
These are just some of the “Vets” who are being given more ice time than the younger players, while Logan Brown and Co. rot in a conference room at a hotel, awaiting word of IF there will be an AHL season. Enough is enough. You want to win games, let the kids play. They deserve it and they have shown it through this tough stretch they’re currently in the midst of. Stutzel, Tkachuk, Chabot, Norris are just a few of the names who show up every night, constantly working hard to win games for the club.
DJ, your time is up my friend. The team has no confidence in you, Sens Nation doesn’t have confidence in you and I surely DO NOT have the confidence in you.
Your inexperience is clearly showing.
It’s no secret that when the Sens get home from their current road trip, there are definitely changes that will need to be made, and I’d say the first thing they should be looking at is the coach.
-Alicia Scodeller
Co-Host: Battle of Ontario Podcast
Twitter: @AliciaScodeller