The Ottawa Senators fired coach DJ Smith on Monday, a day after the team's fourth straight loss. His release will only come after 26 games in the 2023/24 season. Smith will be temporarily replaced by Jacques Martin.
The club also announced that Daniel Alfredsson – the franchise's all-time leading scorer in goals and points – will join Martin's team as an assistant coach. In addition to Smith, the Senators also fired assistant coach David Payne.
Smith was on the bench in his fifth season in Ottawa and compiled a record of 131-154-32 in 317 games. The Senators posted a .464 points percentage during Smith's tenure, ranking 25th in the NHL during that span. Ottawa never qualified for the playoffs under Smith's leadership, as their best finish was 86 points last season.
Smith, 46, was the fifth-longest-serving head coach in the NHL, having taken over in May 2019. However, his lack of success separated him from his colleagues with similar tenures. Of the four head coaches with longer tenures than Smith, three – Jon Cooper, Jared Bednar and Mike Sullivan – have won Stanley Cup championships for their respective teams.
The fourth head coach, Rod Brind'Amour, led Carolina to three consecutive division titles and has a .653 points percentage behind the bench for the Hurricanes.
Smith's contract was due to expire after this season, although the club retained an option to bring him back for the 2024/25 season.
Martin, 71, has not been a head coach in the NHL since his time with the Montreal Canadiens during the 2011-12 season. However, he served as an assistant with the Pittsburgh Penguins for several seasons and won two Stanley Cups as part of Mike Sullivan's team in 2016 and 2017. Martin was recently hired as a special advisor to the coaching staff in Ottawa.
He ranks 17th in NHL history with 1,294 games as a head coach and served as head coach of the Senators from 1996 to 2004. During that span, Martin led Ottawa to the playoffs in all eight of his total seasons, including a President's Trophy title in 2002-03.
Alfredsson was captain of the Senators from 1999 to 2013. During his career, Alfredsson scored 444 goals and 713 assists in 1,246 games played. He spent 17 seasons with the Senators, joining the team before the start of the season as an employee in the hockey operations department.
The Senators are in last place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 11-15.
Why did the senators make the move now?
Speaking to reporters after temporarily taking over the general manager portfolio, Senators president of hockey operations Steve Staios said he supports Smith's work in Ottawa.
“I believe in this coaching staff,” Staios said on Nov. 1.
When he brought Martin on board on Dec. 6, Staios said his goal was to support Smith and his beleaguered employees.
“My job is to identify areas across the organization where we can provide support,” Staios said. “Our goal is to provide all the tools and resources necessary for our success.”
However, the Senators have struggled to show consistency, posting a 3-6-0 record in nine games in December. Looking to end a six-year playoff drought, the Senators woke up Monday finding themselves in last place in the Eastern Conference by just 22 points.
Staios and owner Michael Andlauer likely did this as a preventative measure before Ottawa's next home game on Saturday. At various points this season, the home crowd at the Canadian Tire Center expressed their displeasure with loud chants of “Fire DJ” echoing throughout the arena. If the Senators had returned home with a loss for Saturday's game against the Penguins, those chants probably would have gotten a lot louder. – Ian Mendes, Senators Beat Writer
What went wrong for Smith?
Unfortunately, atrocious starts to the season have been the hallmark of the Senators under Smith. And once again this season, Ottawa found itself well outside of the playoffs.
And when the Senators checked the rankings Monday morning, they were ahead of only four teams in the league in points percentage – Columbus, Anaheim, San Jose and Chicago. The Oilers, Wild and Blues have already made coaching changes to jump-start their hockey teams and potentially salvage the season.
This is another slow start for Smith, who has stumbled out of the gate early in each of his last four seasons as coach in Ottawa.
Balance sheet after 20 games under Smith
| season | Record | Points .Pct | League rank |
|---|---|---|---|
2022-23 | 7-12-1 | .375 | 31 |
2021-22 | 4-15-1 | .225 | 32 |
2020-21 | 14.05.1 | .275 | 31 |
2019-20 | 8-11-1 | .425 | 28 |
There are certainly some extenuating circumstances for Smith, not the least of which is a lineup decimated by injuries and absences. He was currently without his No. 1 defender Thomas Chabot and Shane Pinto. And during his tenure, goaltending performances have been average or below average.
But regardless of who was and wasn't in the Senators' lineup, they struggled to keep the puck out of their own net under Smith. Defensive zone issues have plagued this team for nearly five seasons and were evident again when they conceded six goals to the Golden Knights on Monday.
Ottawa is now conceding 3.42 goals per game this season, ranking 26th overall in the league. – Mendes
What can Martin bring with him?
A fresh voice is probably needed to get started.
And the Senators' core, made up of talented young players like Matthew Tkachuk, Chabot, Tim Stützle, Josh Norris and Jake Sanderson, actually only had Smith as a coach at the NHL level. (Tkachuk and Chabot also played under Guy Boucher and Marc Crawford). Martin is a respected, experienced coach who can change the atmosphere and tone instantly.
Ottawa hopes Martin can once again work his magic with the franchise.
The Senators were a directionless franchise that couldn't shake its expansion title when the 43-year-old Martin was named head coach in January 1996. They had some talented young players on the roster, but lacked the structure and discipline to push the program to the next level.
However, within 14 months of taking over, Martin transformed the Senators into a playoff team. His arrival ushered in the most dynamic and successful era in franchise history, during which they were a consistent Stanley Cup contender for a decade.
Martin's 622 wins rank 22nd all-time. – Mendes
Required reading
(Photo: Henrik Montgomery / TT News Agency / AFP via Getty Images)