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Will DJ Smith change his coaching philosophy?

April 21, 2022, 12:43 AM ET [46 Comments]
Kevin Francis
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Many Sens fans are left wondering on numerous occasions this season how this Ottawa team can look so flat one night and then rebound the next night with a huge win. Naturally, different circumstances dictate how a team responds over the course of an 82 game season. Sometimes, a team is road weary. maybe they are off a huge divisional game or caught playing numerous games in a short stretch. But for some reason, this Sens team is an abysmal 13-20-1 against non-playoff teams this season. If Ottawa has any intention of contending for a playoff spot, those types of results will need to change if they have any hope of not selecting in the top 10 of the NHL draft for the 5th straight year(2019 their 1st round pick, 4th overall was traded to COL).

In talking to NHL scouts and other NHL personnel over the last few weeks about how this Sens team can look so different night to night, the one common theme that I'm told is that the style of play that head coach DJ Smith wants his team to play isn't sustainable. It's one thing to play a physical game when needed, but it's another thing to make this your team's identity. There are many teams in the Western Conference that play heavy hockey but the successful teams know when to use it and when to let the body recover, letting your skill take over in games rather than ravage your body to no end, game in and out.

Make no mistake about it, Ottawa gets up for the best teams in the league but those same teams take Ottawa lightly due to where they are in the standings. So in those situations, the opposing head coach gets his team to play a different style so they can endure the 82 game season, properly. Plus, on many of those nights, the top teams also play their backup goaltender giving them the proper rest to play against the better teams in the league. Therefore, the Sens get the best of both worlds in which teams aren't bringing their best those nights and Ottawa capitalizes on it.

The one aspect that stands out to many NHL personnel that I talk to around the league is the number of shoulder injuries that Ottawa has endured this season. What I was told is that when your head coach preaches and rewards those who "drive the guy through the boards", as DJ has been quoted, are putting their bodies in vulnerable positions on a far too consistent basis is leading to far too many upper body/shoulder injuries. I had an assistant general manager tell me he has never seen a team have as many upper body injuries as Ottawa has had this year but he believes it's due to the mentality DJ preaches. This assistant GM went on to say, if DJ doesn't change his philosophy next year he will be without a job by Christmas. While also stating that his approach to training camp needs to change too. Over the last three years, every player that has come through Ottawa has said it was the hardest training camp they have ever had at the NHL level. The one common denominator with how Ottawa has started the season under DJ Smith over three seasons is how slow they're out of the gate but you can probably attribute part of that due to fatigue before the NHL regular season even begins.

I had another NHL scout that follows the Eastern Conference closely tell me that Connor Brown is paying the price for DJ's style of play. He said that watching Brown over the last dozen games, he looks banged up and is most likely playing through an upper-body injury and looks like he has nothing left to give on a physical level this season. On many nights, Brown was easily the most used forward with over 20 minutes TOI on a nightly basis while relentlessly throwing his body around. This scout went on to say, DJ's style not only wears down players but shortens their careers long term.

In talking with former and present players, the one head coach's name that comes up when comparing DJ Smith to a former coach is that of John Tortorella. Many of Tortorella's players over the years have had their careers shortened due to the same similar style of play as it's not sustainable long term. They went on to say, it's why you see a team like Ottawa have numerous no-shows on the road. Once they get away from home ice, the adrenaline crashes really hard when your body is constantly pounding the opposition. Recently, the no shows on the road in New York and Seattle come to mind over the last two weeks in which fans said they can't believe how flat the team looked.

Everyone I spoke to prior to writing this piece all said, would you rather lead the league in hits the way Ottawa does but be stuck in the bottom ten of the league standings year in and out or would you rather change your philosophy from being hard to play against or we will outwork our opponent, to having a balance of skill and physical play, with a smart balanced coaching style?! Sens fans can only hope DJ Smith will learn from Claude Julien at the World Championships in May as an assistant coach, or expect the same results next year! This fan base won't stand for another lost season because of stubbornness and a lack of adjusting to the proper culture of what it takes to win the NHL.

Comments, thoughts? I look forward to hearing from everyone.

Thanks for reading.
Kevin
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