The Ottawa Senators announced on Monday, Dec. 18 that they have fired head coach D.J. Smith , replacing him with interim head coach Jacques Martin. The announcement follows the fourth straight loss for the team and the seventh in the last 10 games, leaving them in last place in the Eastern Conference. The team also announced that assistant coach Davis Payne had been fired and replaced by Daniel Alfredsson.
Smith was hired in 2019-20 after Guy Boucher was let go and was expected to connect with the younger members of the team. He quickly became a well-respected coach among the team’s leaders and forged a positive dressing room environment. However, after four seasons, the team had a record of 131-154-32 and never finished higher than 23rd overall.
Martin, who coached the Senators from 1996-2004, was brought back earlier this month to serve as a senior advisor to the coaching staff. He currently sits as Ottawa’s winningest coach with a record of 341-235-116 and won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s coach of the year in 1998-99. Alfredsson hasn’t ever coached in the NHL but is the Senators’ all-time points leader with 1,108 points in 1,178 games.
Senators Making the Most of Bad Situation
The Senators have long needed to make a change behind the bench, but new owner Michael Andlauer was hesitant to make any drastic changes too soon. However, the team’s current record was too egregious to ignore. While it’s not likely enough to turn this team into a playoff contender, the hope is that it will help break the losing mentality that the team seems to have picked up over the years.
That was never more obvious when Smith blamed a lack of mental toughness as the reason the team fell apart against the Vegas Golden Knights on Dec. 17, it was a sign that he wasn’t preparing his players to handle difficult opponents, even with Martin’s guidance. The team was clearly rattled when they were booed off the ice after losing 6-4 to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Nov. 4 and they never really recovered, winning six of their next 15 games. Brady Tkachuk has also appeared more easily frustrated, leading to some poor choices against the Carolina Hurricanes on Dec. 12.
Now the Senators will turn to Martin, who is an especially encouraging replacement for Smith. During his time as the Senators’ head coach, he was known for his defensive structure, something that the current roster has consistently struggled with under Smith. He was also adept at getting the most out of his players. Despite not having the strongest rosters, the Senators were regular playoff threats and finished near the top of the standings.
Pairing Martin with Alfredsson is also promising, as the two worked together for the entirety of Martin’s time in Ottawa. It was under him that Alfredsson developed into the eight-time All-Star and Hall-of-Famer he became. Not only will having a franchise legend behind the bench bring an heir of authority, but the Senators’ longest-serving captain should know Martin’s systems inside and out, which should provide consistency on and off the ice.
It’s unlikely that Martin remains the coach of the Senators, as he is still considered interim, and at 71 years old, he probably isn’t looking for another full-time coaching gig. However, having Alfredsson as a permanent member is very encouraging to the team’s future. So, even with an interim coach, this team will be getting consistency and discipline, which are the two things they have been lacking up until now.
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