Report: Major changes coming to Senators
Not surprising considering the season they've had.
HockeyFeed
The Ottawa Senators were one of a handful of National Hockey League teams who were expected to take a major step forward this year, especially with how they ended last season on the cusp of a playoff spot.
However, this season has been nothing short of a disaster as a whole. New starting goaltender Joonas Korpisalo has vastly underperformed, and is being considered by many to be a prime buyout candidate this summer, while prized offseason acquisition Vladimir Tarasenko has been shipped off to the Florida Panthers.
Meanwhile, maligned head coach D.J. Smith was terminated in December and replaced on an interim basis by Jacques Martin, while former Senators captain and fan favorite Daniel Alfredsson has been serving as an assistant coach.
According to NHL Insider Frank Seravalli, the Senators are more likely heading toward "major shakeups" rather than a few fine tuning moves.
"I would lean towards the latter, and they’ll be some significant change," he sid when asked about significant moves being made. "Basically, what we’ve seen from Ottawa is not much action. Since Staios took over, we’ve haven’t seen much in terms of changes."
It’s fact, not opinion, that the Senators have had the most disappointing season of all 32 teams in the NHL," he continued. "I’m real curious as to how aggressive Staios is in his nature when trying to make changes. I can’t stress enough how critical this coaching hire is. They brought Jacques Martin in, and that was one of their big mistakes this season. I think we’ve seen enough from other coaching changes that someone can come in and change the culture."
What kind of moves do you anticipate from the Senators, who are truly one of the more disappointing NHL teams this season, in the summer?
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