Ottawa Senators: Breaking down the hiring of D.J. Smith

The Ottawa Senators have hired former Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coach D.J. Smith as their new head coach. What does he bring to the table?

The Ottawa Senators have been looking for a new head coach since early March, when they fired Guy Boucher despite giving him a vote of confidence shortly before firing him. After interviewing a variety of candidates, including Patrick Roy, the Senators have announced they have hired former Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coach D.J. Smith as their head coach.

Smith has spent the last four seasons with the Maple Leafs, serving as their assistant coach. He was in charge of the penalty kill, which ranked above league average in three of his four seasons. Smith last served as a head coach with the Oshawa Generals of the OHL from 2012 to 2015. He was also the assistant general manager for them during the 2014-15 season.

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Smith led the Generals during their 2014-15 championship season, during which they won the Memorial Cup. He also won the OHL Coach Of The Year Award during the 2013-14 season, leading his team to 42 wins.

Before his tenure as head coach with the Generals, he spent the first eight years of his coaching career with the Windsor Spitfires. Smith served the first six years as an assistant coach and the last two as the associate head coach.

What Does He Bring To The Table?

He has experience building a winner, as he did so with the Generals. Smith also did a great job with the Spitfires, helping turn them into consistent contenders during his tenure there. He was also a coach who Mike Babcock relied on heavily with the Maple Leafs.

Smith was in charge of Toronto’s penalty kill. Though they were never outstanding on the penalty kill under him, they were solid, ranking in the top 15 each season until this season, when they ranked 17th. The Leafs penalty kill fell significantly short during the first round against the Boston Bruins this season. Perhaps that’s why Toronto was willing to let him interview with the Senators.

Ottawa is hoping Smith’s experience with younger players will serve him well with what should be one of the youngest teams in the NHL. The Senators are going through a rebuild and the development of their younger players is crucial to building their next great team.

Smith certainly has his warts, but you can’t question his ability to help develop young players. He’ll have his work cut out for him, as the Senators will most likely have one of the worst rosters in the NHL to start next season.