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DJ Smith & Matt Murray can't be in Ottawa to start next season! |
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The Ottawa Senators got a huge road win last night in St. Louis, knocking off one of the better teams in the Western Conference by a score of 4-1. All four goals came from the youthful nucleus of what many Sens fans hope will be leading the way for years to come in Tkachuk, Stutzle, Norris, and Formenton. Ottawa ended a very tough five-game road trip in which the first three games couldn't have gone any worse for the Sens, losing all three by a combined score of 16-7. It was nice to see Ottawa rebound last night from a very tough 2-1 loss in Vegas in which they were the better team and deserved a better fate in falling to the Knights with five seconds to go on a powerplay goal by Jack Eichel. The Sens were able to put that game behind them and channel their energy to play a similar style of game in St. Louis. I don't think many fans would have predicted at the beginning of the road trip that the lone win would've come against the Blues. They now return for a 5 game homestand against teams in the bottom half of the league.
It truly was a team effort in every sense with Ottawa rolling four lines each getting 18-23 shifts, while on the blueline it was similar with each defenseman getting 22-28 shifts. The biggest difference that helped the blueline create some balance has been the sudden change back to Thomas Chabot having his original partner to start the season in Artem Zub being reunited with him. But don't kid yourself, this wasn't the idea of head coach DJ Smith who had Nikita Zaitsev paired with Chabot when he was healthy over the last month, this directive came from upper management. Smith's biggest downfall has been his inability to make in-game adjustments or to take away ice time from his perennial favourite players this season. As a first-time head coach, he has failed many players in this organization holding the youth to higher standards while allowing the veterans on this team carte blanche. In fact, it was some of the younger leaders on this team that went to Sens GM Pierre Dorion after the Coyotes game urging him to talk to the head coach on their behalf. This speaks volumes about how the youth on this team saw the issues with the defense yet their head coach kept dressing players incapable of playing the minutes he was giving them. Look at the results the last 2 games, they speak for themselves yet it took some of the players to get this team back on track.
Many times this season, DJ has changed his forward lineup on various nights but his refusal to do the same on defense has easily been this coach's biggest sign that he's in over his head coaching this team. Calling Zaitsev "elite" and constantly stating how Josh Brown clears the front of the goal for justifying his spot in the lineup has been shameful, to say the least. Why not give Dylan Heatherington an opportunity after the first two losses on this road trip when neither Brown nor Zaitsev could box out in front of the net or connect on a single pass out of the defensive zone. In so many instances in the Coyotes game, both of these players' single mistakes led directly to another Arizona goal. Had that of been a player with the last name of Thomson or Benard-Docker, they would've not only been benched but made a healthy scratch next game, then demoted back to the AHL in Belleville because all Sens fans have sadly seen this occur on a few occasions this season with both of these of players. We can't have DJ here next season ruining these two players and other prospects coming up the pipeline.
To add to the mess, Erik Brannstrom has been paired with Brown who quite possibly wouldn't be dressing on any other NHL roster. This has led to Brannstrom struggling at times, constantly holding back defensively, to make up for his partner's mistakes. But when he was paired with Nick Holden or Chabot this year, you see a completely different player in Brannstrom carrying the puck with more confidence due to no fear of having to play with a defense partner holding him back. By keeping Brannstrom with Brown, it only hurts any value if another NHL team is watching to see if he might be a fit with their organization, with possibly Detroit exploring the idea of acquiring him. Fix the problem DJ!
Another defenseman who couldn't be any worse than Zaitsev or Brown in the Ottawa lineup is Michael Del Zotto who is still putting up huge numbers down in Belleville. I don't understand how management hasn't brought him up for a few games to at least showcase him a bit to see if any team might take a flyer on him. How on earth hasn't Eugene Melnyk pushed for this as he's paying his 2 million down in the AHL?! What does the organization have to lose to give him a few NHL games, with the hopes of possibly not having to pay him the rest of this year and his 2 million dollar salary next season in the Belleville. Expansion Seattle is in town tomorrow night, Chicago on Saturday night then Arizona on Monday night, all in the bottom ten teams of the league! Come on Pierre!
When looking at the forward group, can anyone explain how Adam Gaudette was inserted into the lineup three games ago to replace Tyler Ennis? He's been given top 6 forward minutes for 3 games and has been absolutely invisible! DJ scratched Ennis after a rough game in Tampa Bay, but that was par for the course for all the Sens forwards in that game. So for whatever reason, Ennis was the scapegoat for the coach and his ineptitude on how to handle his forward group during adversity. In fact, had he taken a look at both forwards numbers on the road this year, he would've seen a more defensively reliable Ennis on the road with a -1 and 12 points in just 22 games, while being over 80% in the faceoff circle. Ennis has played in all situations, PK, PP, and on all four lines this year, both on the wing and at center. But somehow Gaudette supposedly brought more to the table. Again, this double standard that the coach has shown has grown louder from the players and now management which makes one wonder if DJ will even start the season coaching in Ottawa next year if his shortcomings continue over the final 26 games for the Sens. This organization can't afford to watch DJ learn on the job to start next season. They need results and someone who can gauge his team from game to game, while making in-game adjustments, something he has failed to do on a consistent basis for almost three years here.
I also thought Brady Tkachuk sent a subtle message to both Smith and Dorion with his post-game comments last night. When asked about the ridiculous save Anton Forsberg made in the second period, Brady went on to say that Forsberg has been the backbone of this team in goal all year! I must say, those are pretty telling words while sending a message to management about Matt Muray. Murray has been a hot topic once again, as he's on IR for the third time this season and 7th time in less than two seasons. Add to the fact that Murray missed the first week of the regular season(3 starts) with the team saying he was ill(DJ was very vague on it for that entire week except to say that it wasn't COVID) and then missed more time due to illness( not COVID) from Jan.16-20th and missed two more starts. Let's not forget he was sent down to Belleville in late November to regain his form, get better work habits, etc...as the coach called Murray out after the loss in San Jose. If Tkachuk is telling the media that Forsberg is the backbone of this team, which is exactly what I wrote about a month ago when it came to this team playing harder for Forsberg than it does for Murray. It just reinforces what I was told by a few sources inside the organization. So if Eugene Melnyk signed off on paying Murray and MDZ in the AHL, then why not buy out Murray this summer? Any Sens fan would tell you that this team can't have the start it has had the last two seasons. If Murray is one of the problems, fix it this summer! It would be 10 million to buy him out, get it done Dorion and Melnyk. What I don't understand is that the team buried 8 million in salary with Murray and Del Zotto's salaries at one point in Belleville, so why not send Zaitsev down to Belleville now and his 4.5 million salary to get rid of the next biggest problem on this team? All questions that need to be answered over the last month and a half of the regular season.
Lastly, in watching the Edmonton at Calgary game two nights ago, analyst Kelly Hrudey talked about the Oiler's new head coach, Jay Woodcroft. He pointed out three key points as to why he has been successful in taking over the Oilers mid-season. He went on to say that a few other of the NHL's bottom half teams in the league could take a note or two from him about his approach. Hrudey stated that he treats EACH player the same way, there are no double standards. Woodcroft puts his players in a position to succeed and he has a presence behind the bench. Three pretty simple coaching aspects that DJ Smith could surely use as it would be a welcomed change from what this fanbase has had to endure with Smith's stubborn ways of thinking you need a tough team to play with by justifying his lineup decisions. What a concept put players in a position to succeed, treat them all the same way from the start until the end of the season, and not stand silent for most of the game behind the bench with your hands in your pockets/chewing gum constantly/drinking water. For most Sens fans, lets hope we only have to endure another 26 games of DJ before moving onto a proven NHL head coach to get this team into playoff contention next season.
Thoughts and comments are always welcomed. Let's hear it Sens fans!
Thanks for reading.
Kevin
Ottawa Senators Blogger • 
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