SalarySwishSalarySwish
Avatar

Claesson4Norris

Member Since
Jan. 24, 2018
Favourite Team
Ottawa Senators
2nd Favourite Team
Carolina Hurricanes
Forum Posts
16282
Posts per Day
7.6
Forum: Armchair-GM4 hours ago
Forum: Armchair-GM20 hours ago
Forum: Armchair-GM21 hours ago
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>SharkTank</b></div><div>Why does Smith get most of the blame in Ottawa? I understand he's a part of it. Seems like a convenient scapegoat. Like Holl was in Toronto.

It's as if Smith is preventing Ottawa from winning a Cup?</div></div>

DJ is a great rebuild coach. He came in at a time when the vibes in the organization were absolutely awful. They were in the start of an ugly rebuild with a fractured locker room. He's a massive reason this current group is so tight knit. He kept vibes really high for the bad years, and he was a great coach for letting young talent cut their teeth in the NHL, even if things weren't working. Not a lot of coaches would have stuck through with Timmy down the middle, when it was SO bad to start, but he did, because Tim's skill set would ultimately serve him better down the middle.

That said, Ottawa's ready to take the next step, and they simply don't play the right way under DJ. Every year it's the same. Slow starts to the season, a complete lack of team structure leading to disjointed transitions and chaos in the D Zone, and an inability to put a full 60 minute complete effort most nights. The team needs results, and he's had 5 years with this group. These glaring flaws holding the team back are either DJ Smith hockey working as intended, or even after 5 years he still hasn't got his message through to the players. All the signs this season point to an immature team that needs a firmer hand on the wheel.