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Sens hiring Pierre McGuire Doesn’t Tell us Anything we Didn’t Already Know

By Jack Baines

May 7, 2018; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; NHL network color analyst Pierre McGuire performs the pregame show before the Pittsburgh Penguins host the Washington Capitals in game six of the second round of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG PAINTS Arena. The Capitals won 2-1 in overtime to win the series 4 games to 2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
May 7, 2018; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; NHL network color analyst Pierre McGuire performs the pregame show before the Pittsburgh Penguins host the Washington Capitals in game six of the second round of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG PAINTS Arena. The Capitals won 2-1 in overtime to win the series 4 games to 2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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Ottawa Senators
Pierre Dorion of the Ottawa Senators (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Is Pierre Dorion’s Job in Danger

While McGuire’s title would suggest he’ll be mostly involved on the development side of things, there has been speculation that he might be the Pierre-apparent to assume the GM role.

There’s a definite possibility Dorion isn’t the GM this time next year, but the addition of McGuire doesn’t really move the needle here. Dorion is entering his sixth season as the Sens GM, which means he’s starting to creep up the list of longest-tenured GMs in the league. Mix in four consecutive playoff misses and the fact that he’s in the final year of his contract and it starts to look like he may already have been on thin ice before this hiring.

The Sens haven’t switched GMs since 2016 when the late Bryan Murray stepped away for health reasons, so the fanbase may not be used to the usual churn of an NHL front office. Melnyk has likely contemplated Pierre Dorion’s future in recent months and may have already created a shortlist of possible candidates to replace him. The fact that the team may have actually hired one of those candidates is not insignificant, but it is far from unusual or surprising.

So where does this leave us? The hiring of Pierre McGuire indicates both an old-school approach and Dorion’s potential exit, but neither of those things should be major revelations.

This likely won’t be the last piece written on Pierre McGuire, as he’s certainly liable to say or do some fascinating things during his tenure in Ottawa. For now though, it’s business as usual for the Sens.

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