Sens to steal a coach from Leafs’ team?!

The Ottawa Senators made a huge splash at the start of the month when they fired head coach Guy Boucher and replaced him with assistant Marc Crawford for the last stretch of the regular calendar. 

They made it clear that they were looking for a specific head coach to take on the rebuilding phase in Ottawa, putting it up almost a job posting for it right after Boucher was fired. 

In the team release, the Senators said they would be looking for a new head coach who excels in the following:

-A teacher who will focus on the development and growth of each player on the team; 
-A listener who encourages feedback from players and the coaching staff; 
-A communicator who lets every team member know where they stand and what is expected; 
-A tactician who brings structure and game planning that will enhance our rebuild.

Well, it seems like the Senators have no problem going into their Ontario rivals’ yard and investigate on the possibility of signing one of their own. According to Elliotte Friedman, the Senators are zoning in on Maple Leafs assistant coach D.J. Smith, just like they had a few seasons ago before choosing Boucher. 

However, when Lou Lamoriello was in Toronto, he refused to let them speak to him… we will have to see if they will get to this time around: 

“There’s also been a lot of reporting on the Ottawa coaching job. Candidates range from those with plenty of experience — Marc Crawford, Jacques Martin, Michel Therrien and Alain Vigneault — to those who interviewed well last time around, including Brad Shaw and Mike Yeo. During that process, the Senators asked Toronto for permission to speak to D.J. Smith, but were denied. That’s something to keep an eye on.”

There are a lot of interesting candidates out there, however, the fact that the Senators are looking to get a second try to speak with Smith says a lot. 

Stay tuned…