Dorion says Sens waived Zack Smith to send message to dressing room

[phillyb]

Can someone explain fo me why Smith is playing tonight against the Hawks? Maybe I just don’t fully understand waivers, but #15 is definitely on the ice.

 

[Rcknrollkillnmachine]

Dorion says Sens waived Zack Smith to send message to dressing room

"We knew that if we let the team know we are not going to accept what happened last (season), including how Zack played, that hopefully the message would be passed to the room," the club's general manager told TSN's Brent Wallace.


"The wavers will continue until morale improves"

Stunning and brave.

 

[These Are The Days]

0 days since last Sens related incident

 

[lifelonghockeyfan]

I was talking about his hope some other team would claim him and free him from that commitment which we all know he was praying for.

Maybe all the Sens hope they are put on waivers and claimed.

Seems like the Sens will be the NHL version of "Survivor". Every week we see who is kicked off the island.

 

[HanSolo]

What was he gonna say "The cheap owner who pulls all the strings here wanted to save 10M dollars."

Something else could be a start.

 

[Huck Cheever]

Send a message to the dressing room?

What message exactly? We don't care about winning ever?

 

[WesMcCauley]

Waive him and then play him with Stone the next day lol. Message sent... What a complete mess

 

[Henkka]

What message?

"I'm an idiot, don't you guys see." ?

 

[WesMcCauley]

Can someone explain fo me why Smith is playing tonight against the Hawks? Maybe I just don’t fully understand waivers, but #15 is definitely on the ice.

They probably put him on waivers to see if anyone would claim him and take his contract off their hands. When that didnt happen they just kept him in the NHL and didnt send him down to the AHL.
It was probably the plan all the way and was stupid imo.
It probably lowers the chances of beeing able to trade him later if he has a solid start to the season because his value got even lower when no one was willing to take him for nothing now

 

[Bedards Dad]

To be honest I don't really understand what the posters are laughing at. Yea, maybe Dorion should had kept his mouth shout.

Smith is coming of a basically career worse year (19 points) and was a team worse -32 in +/-. He was waived and he cleared, which speaks volume about his value...

I would understand players and fans getting mad at Dorion if he had some value and they lost him for nothing, but, like many other teams, Ottawa waived a fringe (maybe depth player if he has a comeback year) and fans decided to make a big deal out of nothing....

Simple question for the fans: How many people blaming Dorion would take Smith for free for your team?

Other teams have better options. Your dumpster fire does not, Pierre.

 

[Harvey Birdman]

Dorion again proving why you never go full Ottawa.

 

[Oddbob]

All the running down of Dorion, when lets be honest, this really is all on Melnyk. He wants to own an NHL team, just doesn't want to you know, pay the price of icing a quality team. Not much a GM can do with no money, and handcuffed moves that need to be made. Not defending him, as I still think he is a bad GM myself, but we honestly don't know for sure, as all his moves are money related, or publicity related (Hoffman).

Not sure what Melnyk is thinking anyways, free agents are never going to want to come here, as is, or in the future, when he refuses to pay the keep a good team together. Also, any really good player that turn out for the Sens, will just leave when it is time to pony up the dough. Let's say Brady Tkachuk tears it up the next few years, then time to pay up, "No, No, NO, WE CAN"T DO THAT!"

 

[Bedards Dad]

I hope the players refuse to go on the ice one night.


They will finish last anyways, so prove a point, drive management and ownership out.

 

[Filatov2Kovalev2Bonk]

Dorion has a few jobs, but his biggest one right now is not to look like a rank amateur whenever he's in front a mic.
All he has to do, literally, is craft a prepared statement and stick to his talking points. Our media is pillow soft and won't challenge him, ever.

That's why he's brutal. Not the trades or anything, bad trades happen. It's the complete lack of preparation and just utter confusion whenever he speaks in public that is part of eroding trust here.

 

[Korpse]

They’re a depleted team, especially at center, with no need to lose players. Losing Smith for nothing only hurts the team, and the reason they did it just seems ****ty. No way the players will be okay with that happening at all, let alone to a favorite.

The whole team sucked last year, and they’re taking it out on a guy who was never close to their best player to begin with. A loyal player who probably really wants to stay in Ottawa, who has built a life there. That’s an awful motivator.

Even worse is they did it the same year they traded away 2/3 of their top players, as if that’s gonna motivate the team.

Management is basically tanking the team and threatening them if they suck.

Calling Zack Smith a centre at this stage is generous.

 

[Satoru Gojo]

I've been following the NHL for 13 years now and I must say, Dorion is probably the worst hockey executive I have ever seen

 

[Oddbob]

I've been following the NHL for 13 years now and I must say, Dorion is probably the worst hockey executive I have ever seen

Hold on though, Dorion is HANDICAPPED by Melnyk, what is Peter Chiarelli's excuse?

 

[IceNeophyte]

Fear is the worst motivator possible.

 

[Satoru Gojo]

Hold on though, Dorion is HANDICAPPED by Melnyk, what is Peter Chiarelli's excuse?

Meh, not all of Chia's moves have been bad (between EDM and BOS) and he has a Stanley Cup ring

 

[nturn06]

Other teams have better options. Your dumpster fire does not, Pierre.

Yea, is not like Ottawa could dress the water boy and probably still finish in the same spot in standings... Zach Smith is critical for their success...

Again, Dorion did a lot of stupid things, but people are blowing the waiving of an overpaid player who seems to be on the down slope of his career out of water.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

What was he gonna say "The cheap owner who pulls all the strings here wanted to save 10M dollars."

You do know they save zero dollars with Smith being in the AHL?

 

[Oddbob]

Meh, not all of Chia's moves have been bad (between EDM and BOS) and he has a Stanley Cup ring

True he won a cup, but at least 85% of his big moves have been quite bad and he somehow still has an NHL GM job. Even if the Oilers finally get going now, it is pretty hard to mess that up with a player like Connor McDavid on your team!

 

[7even]

Ottawa Senators: if not even you know what you're doing, how will your opponents? More 200IQ plays outta Dorion.

 

[King'sPawn]

Can someone explain fo me why Smith is playing tonight against the Hawks? Maybe I just don’t fully understand waivers, but #15 is definitely on the ice.

Clearing waivers just means he can now be assigned to the AHL within a time period (I believe it's 30 days, though people more knowledgeable can correct me).

Sometimes teams do it as a precursor to a trade so another team can trade for him and assign him to the AHL (because who would want to spend assets trading for a guy just to have another team pick him up on waivers).

Other teams waive players for roster flexibility.

Then you have the Ottawa Senators team who uses the waiver wire like a telegram to send messages.

 

[WingsMJN2965]

What are the chances these guys skip practice as a group?

That ever happened before?