According to reports, and confirmed by the Ottawa Senators organization, the team has has fired head coach D.J. Smith. Jacques Martin has been named the Senators interim head coach. Daniel Alfredsson joins the team’s coaching staff as an assistant coach.
Pierre LeBrun of TSN writes, “Smith was on an expiring contract. In a perfect world, I think Steve Staios would have wanted to wait but obviously felt he had no choice at this point.” Four straight losses and last in the Eastern Conference, the Sens decided to make a change now to try and salvage this season in some fashion.
The team released in a statement that in addition to Smith, assistant coach Davis Payne has also been relieved of his role. The remaining members of the coaching staff have been retained.
Related: Senators Hire Jacques Martin as Senior Advisor to Coaching Staff
Writing Was on the Wall With Jacques Martin Hire
Initially appointed as the team’s third head coach on January 24, 1996, Martin had a nine-season tenure with the Senators, amassing a 341-255-96 (.562) regular-season record before returning to the organization earlier this month. Martin remains the franchise’s all-time leader in games coached (692), regular-season wins (341), playoff wins (31), and playoff games coached (69).
Bruce Garrioch the Ottawa Sun writes wrote a couple of weeks ago that “Staios doesn’t want to make a change. At some point that patience will wear thin, and Smith will be let go. That could be tomorrow, next week, next month or even next summer. Anything is possible, but the best bet for this group is to collectively start playing better.”
Senators GM and Team President Steve Staios will be available to the media on Monday afternoon via Zoom from the team’s hotel in Tempe, Arizona. The exact timing will be communicated accordingly.
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