Sens go bargain hunting for head coach
The Ottawa Senators took it upon themselves to clean house partway through the season while announcing Steve Staios as their new general manager after an ownership change between the Melnyk family and Michael Andlauer, and while Jacques Martin filled in behind the bench on an interim basis, it appears that the Senators will go into the 2024-2025 season with a new presence in the locker room and voice on the bench.
Travis Green, who is not a proven winner by any stretch of the imagination, is expected to be named head coach, and while everyone in hockey circles knows his name, one has to wonder why the Senators brass thought bringing him in was a good idea considering that their were other coaches available who have a proven track record that they had been rumoured to have interviewed.
Green brings a level of competency to the position, but at what cost is to be determined. While in Vancouver, he took the Canucks to one playoff appearance, which they ended up losing in the second round to the Vegas Golden Knights. Most recently, with the New Jersey Devils, he missed the playoffs while finishing seventh in the Metropolitan Division. This doesn't sound like a recipe for success and more like building for disaster.
It may turn out that Green is the right person for the job, but they have four years to figure that out, according to Chris Johnson. But until that happens, this will likely be the first of many head-scratching moves, not only for the Ottawa Senators but for other teams that will be in the market for a head coach this summer.
| POLL | ||
Should the Ottawa Senators looked elsewhere for a new head coach? | ||
| Yes | 142 | 81.1 % |
| No | 33 | 18.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
