Ottawa Senators interested in interviewing D.J. Smith
By James Reeve
The Ottawa Senators have reportedly added Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coach D.J. Smith as a possible candidate for their vacant head coaching job.
The search for the next Ottawa Senators head coach has taken a detour into southern Ontario with reports suggesting that Toronto Maple Leafs assistant D.J. Smith will be interviewed by the team.
41-year-old Smith has spent the majority of his coaching career in the Ontario Hockey League, starting out as an assistant coach with his hometown Windsor Spitfires in 2004 before leading the Oshawa Generals to the Memorial Cup during his three-year tenure as head coach.
When Mike Babcock took over the head coaching role of the Sens’ arch-rivals, he opted to bring Smith on board – with him remaining by Babcock’s side for the past four seasons.
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Smith has been on the radar of a number of NHL clubs and now it appears the Ottawa Senators have interest in him taking the reins after Guy Boucher.
The Windsor native and former minor NHLer has been running the Leafs’ defence and penalty kill, with the latter ranking joint-16th in the league last season with a 79.9% success rate.
What has shocked many people recently is the fact that the same unit dropped to a shocking 56.3% in the playoffs.
This disappointing drop saw the unit rank second-last, only ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 50%, also seeing Toronto knocked out in the first round for the third consecutive season.
Smith’s experience in juniors and his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs seem to have set him up well for taking on a head coaching job in the league, but his recent playoff showing is a concerning sign for any potential suitors.
The Ottawa Senators are certainly stepping up their search for a head coach but they shouldn’t rush any decisions and general manager Pierre Dorion needs to be 100% satisfied with whoever they hire.
Giving Smith an interview will allow the organisation to see what his mentality and coaching style would be if given the role – helping the Sens to make an informed decision, with Jacques Martin, Marc Crawford and Troy Mann all having been interviewed already.
Next. Michael Frolik should interest Sens. dark
What do you think Sens fans? Would you be pleased to see Smith join from the arch-rival Leafs? Or would you prefer the team opts for another choice? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!