Greg Wyshynski, ESPNDec 18, 2023, 05:52 PM ET
CloseGreg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.
The Ottawa Senators fired head coach D.J. Smith and assistant coach Davis Payne on Monday, replacing them with veteran head coach Jacques Martin on an interim basis as well as franchise legend Daniel Alfredsson as an assistant coach on the bench.
Why did this happen? What comes next for the struggling Senators — and can they make the playoffs? Here’s a look:
Why was D.J. Smith fired?
The Senators are one of the season’s biggest disappointments. Many expected them to become the breakout team in the Atlantic Division, which ended up being the Detroit Red Wings for the first two months of the season. Instead, the Senators were second-to-last in the Eastern Conference when Smith was fired, with a .423 points percentage ahead of only the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets (.391).
Smith was the NHL coach in the most job peril, having topped our recent head coach hot seat index as “scorching.” Ottawa fans were serenading him with “Fire D.J.!” chants at home games. The Senators were spiraling, having last four straight games and five of their last six contests. Rare is the NHL coaching change announced while the team is on a prolonged road trip, but that just underscores how dire things had gotten for Ottawa. Martin will debut at the Arizona Coyotes on Dec. 19 before they finish the road trip at the Colorado Avalanche on Dec. 21.
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Smith was hired by Pierre Dorion from the Toronto Maple Leafs’ coaching staff in 2019. But Dorion was dismissed in November in the wake of an NHL investigation that caused the team to forfeit a first-round draft pick. New owner Michael Andlauer named Steve Staios, the team’s president of hockey operations who was hired on Sept. 29, as interim general manager.
There was a perception that Smith could last the season, with the club opting not to pick up his option for 2024-25 in the summer. Andlauer stressed that he wanted stability in the…
Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/insider/story/_/id/39141922/nhl-dj-smith-fired-ottawa-senators-trades-playoffs-standings
Author : Greg Wyshynski
Publish date : 2023-12-18 22:55:07
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