There has been so much chaos in the Canadian Capital of Ottawa this NHL season. The Senators have become the center of the hockey universe again with the firing of DJ Smith on Monday.
NHL News: DJ Smith Fired and Jacques Martin Named Interim Head Coach
Now, the Ottawa Senators did not want to make this move but it was a move that needed to be done. Ottawa has been one of the more disappointing teams, not just in the Eastern Conference, but in the NHL this season.
However, with so much turmoil earlier in the season surrounding Shane Pinto, his contract situation, and being suspended with gambling, not to mention general manager Pierre Dorion being fired because of the loss of a draft pick for the mishandling of the Evgenii Dadonov’s situation, the Senators could not afford another distraction so early in the season.
And the players wanted to play for DJ Smith. They made that click to interim general manager Steve Staios and the rest of management. The players wanted things to cool down a bit and see if they could turn things around on the ice. However, that did not happen as the Senators sit in last place in the Eastern Conference.
NHL Rumors: Is the End of DJ Smith Coming In Ottawa?
Smith was entering the final year of his contract. And unless the Senators made the playoffs this season, he was not getting an extension. And even that might not have got the job done.
But as we have seen in Edmonton, Minnesota, and St. Louis, it is also on the players for not doing their job on the ice. However, the writing was on the wall when Jacques Martin was brought in as a special advisor to DJ Smith.
Despite what the organization said, you knew Smith was looking over his shoulder the whole time knowing if this team did not turn around, Martin was going on the bench to replace him. Everyone in the hockey world could see it coming.
Some even called for this move to be made a month ago. There was already enough turmoil inside the organization, they did not need another distraction.
Now after a 6-2 defeat to the Vegas Golden Knights, Smith is out, despite running practice the day before the team takes on Arizona. The removal of the coach is scene more as a mercy firing rather than an organizational decision to save the season.
As TSN Hockey Analyst Pierre LeBrun elegantly articulated on Monday afternoon.
“It was always going to be situation that is gonna get a resolution either way even when the year started because DJ Smith was one of two head coaches in the National Hockey League on an expiring deal the other one being Rod Brind’ Amour in Carolina.
So at some point, the new regime in Ottawa led by Steve Staios was gonna have to make a call on Smith either way and if the season had gotten great, maybe an extension but it certainly has not gone great.
So DJ Smith is gone. I think Staios would have in a perfect world preferred to avoid until after the season to make this change. But this is almost like a mercy fire. I think things have gone off the rails so badly and I think there’s a situation where they’re almost doing the guy a favor at this point.
NHL Rumors: It Could Be a Busy Offseason for the Ottawa Senators
So Jacques Martin a familiar face interim coach, which is also a smart way to handle it I think. You’re not locking yourself into your next coach yet. You’re giving this thing time to breathe. That’ll stabilize things I think for now. Bringing in Daniel Alfredsson behind the bench I think will be welcomed by Senators fans, but this was needed.
This the fan base that’s tired of waiting for the rebuild to finally connect and you know, like I said this is probably a firing that was inevitable but probably happened sooner than Steve Staios would have wanted to.”
Changes were coming in Ottawa this offseason in regards to DJ Smith. However, those changes happened sooner because of the results on the ice not because the organization actually wanted to make this move.