How much rope does DJ Smith have? [UPDATE: None]

[topshelf15]

Simply put our season start needs to be far better ,and if DJ cant get us going how long until we pull the plug...5games ,10,15 ??

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[Crosside]

20 games

 

[Cosmix]

82 games.

 

[Golden_Jet]

82 games

 

[YouGotAStuGoing]

The only measure of success this season, IMO, is playoffs. Inclined to agree with the 82 games replies, unless we fall way out of contention early.

 

[GCK]

If we have another terrible start I think Dorion gets canned by Christmas and the new GM makes a call on DJ.

 

[aragorn]

They need to get out of the gate early & have some early season success & if they are not out of it by Christmas DJ could survive the season, but he has 30 pts to make up in a pretty tough division next season. They don't necessarily need to make the playoffs, but they need to be in a position to challenge for a playoff spot for most of the season for the coach to survive the yr. Dorion's job could also be tied to a good start to the season.

 

[GermanSpitfire]

If he doesn’t find any notable improvement over last season.

His ass is grass and Pierre is the lawn mower.

 

[topshelf15]

Too add I think we have the forward group that is close,should we add a major piece on Stu,s wing we will score...The real test will be in nets and on the defense

 

[The Devilish Buffoon]

I think its 15-20 games, assuming the first 15-20 games of this season mirror the two seasons prior.

Beyond that, I think it's pretty long.

 

[aragorn]

Too add I think we have the forward group that is close,should we add a major piece on Stu,s wing we will score...The real test will be in nets and on the defense

I agree, they will need Forsberg & whoever else plays in net to get off to a great start & be as good to start next season as he was to end last season. The defence will continue to be a work in progress as they have four defencemen who are UFAs going into next season. Who gets extended & who gets moved will be interesting, but more importantly their young D will need to step up & take a spot or two on D.

 

[OmniSens]

Make or break season for him. Need to compete for the playoffs this season. Depending on off-season moves (Acquiring someone like Fiala), make the playoffs. Otherwise, out the door.

 

[2CHAINZ]

Less than Dorion

 

[Gil Gunderson]

If the team is indeed willing to spend more, it should also depend on who's available at the time.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

If the Sens do not get off to a good start this year. Dorion will can him.

He'll be part of the clean up when either a POHO is hired or new owners come in.

 

[Larionov]

Much of this will also depend on who owns the team at the time. If we limp into the season with the status quo on ownership, then DJ gets as much rope as Dorion wants to give him. If we have new ownership by then, they'll be a lot more prepared to clean house in the face of a 5-15 start, and that will include the GM.

I'm disappointed, but not surprised, that Florida scooped up Maurice. I would have loved to see him here. Ditto for Cassidy, who you also knew wouldn't last long. Trotz has decided to go spend the Islanders' money for a year, but he'll be able to call his shot next off season - unless we have a new owner who is willing to spend big on a coach, he is out of our price range...

 

[pt_mck]

dorion should be on the shortest rope.

 

[Cosmix]

If we have another terrible start I think Dorion gets canned by Christmas and the new GM makes a call on DJ.

I think DJ gets canned by Dorion by Christmas if they falter in the first 3 months of the season, because Dorion has to have a fall guy, followed by Dorion at the end of the season.

dorion should be on the shortest rope.

He should have been hung by it already.

I agree, they will need Forsberg & whoever else plays in net to get off to a great start & be as good to start next season as he was to end last season. The defence will continue to be a work in progress as they have four defencemen who are UFAs going into next season. Who gets extended & who gets moved will be interesting, but more importantly their young D will need to step up & take a spot or two on D.

We only have 3 Defencemen worth keeping long term: Chabot, Zub & Sanderson.

 

[BoardsofCanada]

The impression I have is that the players love DJ. I also get the impression that the locker room is tight and there is stability (finally). And yet many on this board want to fire DJ and bring in a brand new voice.

The Sens are a young team. Add below average goaltending (which I think is the biggest factor of all) to their inexperience and the slow starts are not surprising.

I personally expect them to take a big step next season For me, DJ is an asset. He is not the problem. Goaltending is the biggest factor followed by our inconsistent blueline.

 

[YouGotAStuGoing]

The impression I have is that the players love DJ. I also get the impression that the locker room is tight and there is stability (finally). And yet many on this board want to fire DJ and bring in a brand new voice.

The Sens are a young team. Add below average goaltending (which I think is the biggest factor of all) to their inexperience and the slow starts are not surprising.

I personally expect them to take a big step next season For me, DJ is an asset. He is not the problem. Goaltending is the biggest factor followed by our inconsistent blueline.

DJ seems well-liked, for sure. I don't see an urgent need to move on from him yet. But we're not in the "well-liked" business, we're in the "winning games" business. If DJ is going to contribute to a winning culture with this core, it's got to start this season. Otherwise he's a nice, well-respected guy who won't get us where we need to be.

 

[Ice-Tray]

The impression I have is that the players love DJ. I also get the impression that the locker room is tight and there is stability (finally). And yet many on this board want to fire DJ and bring in a brand new voice.

The Sens are a young team. Add below average goaltending (which I think is the biggest factor of all) to their inexperience and the slow starts are not surprising.

I personally expect them to take a big step next season For me, DJ is an asset. He is not the problem. Goaltending is the biggest factor followed by our inconsistent blueline.

We have a young head coach who was tapped to work with Team Canada.

The players love playing for him, and he takes his time with development of young players, but unlike many old coaches he actually plays the kids more as they gain confidence.

He is the perfect coach for this young team in my opinion, and should have lots of leeway. Last years start, and season in general have less to do with coaching, and more to do with injuries, COVID, and roster availability in general, including goaltending.

I’d prefer to see a nice long coaching stint like with JM where the players finally get a stable system to play in, and everyone has bought in.

Unlike JM, DJ is brining the entire core into the NHL, and is giving players a lot more leeway than JM did. Guys still have to be accountable, but I think the desire to play D and work hard comes from the team chemistry and communication from coaching. The guys are all accountable to a level we haven’t seen in years.

No more changes for the sake of changes. We have one of the very best young coaches, and we have one of the very best young core of players. We really just need to find a way to enjoy the development process and resist the urge to cut corners.

 

[Ice-Tray]

DJ seems well-liked, for sure. I don't see an urgent need to move on from him yet. But we're not in the "well-liked" business, we're in the "winning games" business. If DJ is going to contribute to a winning culture with this core, it's got to start this season. Otherwise he's a nice, well-respected guy who won't get us where we need to be.

Yeah but we’ll-liked coaches is just a term to describe how far the players are willing to go for the coach. Guys like Keenan and Torts even, have a shelf life because players tune them out.

We also see that DJ isn’t scared to bench players who are under performing. Well-liked tends to be more about players “knowing where they stand” and having good communication with the coach, as opposed to him being soft and letting the guys have their way.

It’s a new generation of players, with different emotional needs than those of the past. Coaches have to be different to reach them and help them reach potential. We don’t see a lot of yelling coaches anymore, unless it’s at the refs!

In my opinion we have had several coaches who have struggles over the last many years, and DJ looks a lot more like a breath of fresh air, for now anyways.

 

[robsenz]

Dorion should be fired if he hasn't improved the roster by opening puck drop. DJ should have the full year, the intentions were to develop with DJ, not neccessarly win with him.

 

[YouGotAStuGoing]

Yeah but we’ll-liked coaches is just a term to describe how far the players are willing to go for the coach. Guys like Keenan and Torts even, have a shelf life because players tune them out.

We also see that DJ isn’t scared to bench players who are under performing. Well-liked tends to be more about players “knowing where they stand” and having good communication with the coach, as opposed to him being soft and letting the guys have their way.

It’s a new generation of players, with different emotional needs than those of the past. Coaches have to be different to reach them and help them reach potential. We don’t see a lot of yelling coaches anymore, unless it’s at the refs!

In my opinion we have had several coaches who have struggles over the last many years, and DJ looks a lot more like a breath of fresh air, for now anyways.

No arguments here, he's earned the benefit of the doubt for now. DJ's pretty low on my "problems we need to address" list. I like his approach a lot and clearly it resonates with the players. But the ultimate metric has always been and will always be the number in the W column.

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

I think he has more rope than Dorion, or at least he should imo. A bad start should mean making a move in the GM chair not coaching, depending of course on how Dorion does this summer and what the roster looks like.