(Ottawa) Ottawa Senators head coach DJ Smith said his team will have to ignore distractions and stay in their bubble from now on.
The Senators fired general manager Pierre Dorion on Wednesday after the franchise was stripped of a first-round pick in one of the next three NHL drafts for its role in a trade that aborted in 2022.
The announcement also comes after forward Shane Pinto received a 41-game suspension for violating the league’s sports betting wrestling policy last week.
Smith said players will have a responsibility to stay focused on the task at hand.
“It’s easy for me to say that they look motivated and in full possession of their means,” Smith said Thursday about the state of mind of his players. But they shouldn’t forget to focus only on what they can control. Look at yourself in the mirror and give your all for 60 minutes.
“Then the distractions, you know, you have to deal with them. The best teams in this league are capable of staying in their bubble, and that’s what we have to do,” he added.
Smith briefly addressed the departure of Dorion, who paid for the Ottawa team’s many mistakes during his eight years in office.
“It’s always bad to see someone lose their job, after everything they’ve done for us,” Senators captain Brady Tkachuk said of Dorion. (I) was able to talk to him (Wednesday) and I just wanted to wish him the best of luck for the future. But I think it’s time to turn the page. »
Heading into Thursday night’s home game against the Los Angeles Kings, the Senators are in last place in the Atlantic Division and 14e echelon of the Eastern Conference by virtue of a record of 4-4-0. The Sens ended a three-game losing streak last Saturday against the Penguins in Pittsburgh.
Tkachuk mentioned that the team’s new president of hockey operations, Steve Staios, has already had a very positive meeting with the players.
“He instilled a good dose of confidence upon his arrival in the group, reminding us of what we had built so far and what we will have to do going forward,” explained Tkachuk. It was good to hear that management believes in us and has confidence in our group for the future. »