Former NHL front office exec amazed by Senators' decision to still have D.J. Smith as HC

By Cole Shelton

Modified Dec 18, 2023 16:16 GMT

Shawn Simpson, who served in the front office with the Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs, is surprised D.J. Smith is still the head coach of the Ottawa Senators.

The Senators are currently in last place in the Eastern Conference in a season with high expectations, as many expected Ottawa to make the playoffs.

However, with the Senators' dismal performances, many fans have called for D.J. Smith to be fired. Smith is in his fifth season in Ottawa, and under his watch, the Sens have yet to make the playoffs.

With the team off to a bad start, Simpson, who has worked as the director of hockey operations for the Capitals and a scout for the Maple Leafs, took to social media to share his thoughts on Smith still being deployed by Ottawa.

"You've now crossed a line where it's not even fair to DJ Smith to continue along," Simpson wrote on X.

While Simpson echoed the thoughts of Senators fans, interim general manager Steve Staios said players respect the coach, which could explain why he's still employed.

“The players respect him,” Staios told The Athletic of Smith. “They play hard for him. This team doesn’t cheat us on effort. Are there areas of our game where it needs to improve? Yeah, of course, there are. And when you talk to D.J., he’d say the same thing. I’m confident that the team is going to continue to improve.

“The other thing is, it’s a challenge to really evaluate when you don’t have all our players. It’s not excuses. It’s just the facts.”

In parts of five seasons with the Senators, D.J. Smith's record as head coach is 131-154-32.

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Senators have brought in Jacques Martin to work with D.J. Smith

Although Ottawa has expressed confidence in D.J. Smith, the Senators hired Jacques Martin as a senior adviser.

The addition was a surprise, but D.J. Smith spoke to the media after the hiring and was happy with it, as he says he can lean on the 71-year-old.

"You’re continuously trying to get better, and I think one thing Jacques is known for is detail," Smith said. "And, for me and my staff, we're going to try and get every piece of knowledge he has and try and introduce it to our game and to our team.

"He'll be the eye in the sky. He'll be around. He'll be watching videos and bouncing ideas off us, and we'll bounce ideas off him. When you’re in tough times, that's when you rely on people with experience to help you get out of certain situations."

D.J. Smith is in the final year of his contract, but Ottawa has a club option for next season.