How Firing DJ Doesn't Fix the Team & 3 Trade Targets
Welcome to the THW Ottawa Senators Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Senators writers.
In today’s edition, we have a look at DJ Smith’s standing as the Senators’ head coach and how firing him doesn’t fix the issues, plus a look at three defensive trade targets the Senators should be looking at.
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Senators Firing D.J. Smith Won’t Solve Team’s Problems
November 24, 2023 by Paul Quinney
Judging by the chants of “Fire DJ” from every corner of Canadian Tire Centre (CTC) on a few occasions, a visitor from Mars would have concluded that the Senators’ disappointing performance so far this season is all the fault of one man – Smith. He and he alone could make this team a winner and since he hasn’t, he has to go.
It is nothing more than fantasy to think that turning a run-of-the-mill team like the Senators into a good one is as simple as putting Smith’s head on a pike on Parliament Hill. There’s no doubt that firing the coach of a struggling team in mid-season feels good for many fans, but by itself, it generally doesn’t work. The cries of “Fire DJ” are just a knee-jerk reaction from fans demanding instant gratification and simple fixes to a complex problem.
Let’s take a look at the evidence as to how effective in-season coach firings are in the NHL.
Senators Should Have These 3 Defencemen as Trade Targets
November 21, 2023 by Dayton Reimer
All eyes are on Calgary Flames defenseman Nikita Zadorov after he requested a trade midway through a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov 11. Immediately, the Maple Leafs emerged as the frontrunner, but there isn’t a team in the NHL that wouldn’t like to add a 6-foot-6, physical and defensive-minded defenceman like him. That includes the Ottawa Senators, who have found themselves in a bit of a bind after Thomas Chabot went down with a broken hand at the end of October, and Artem Zub has struggled to stay healthy.
However, the Senators can’t afford Zadorov. The team bet the farm on Jakub Chychrun and Alex DeBrincat last season and recouped far fewer assets after the latter didn’t work out. Not to mention, the bidding war that is likely happening for Zadorov will quickly price Ottawa out. But that doesn’t mean the Senators shouldn’t look at the trade market to address the gap on their blue line. Here are three defencemen that the Sens should consider acquiring.