Five coaching candidates to watch for the Ottawa Senators

Credit: Jay Woodcroft (© Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports)

School is in session for the Ottawa Senators. That much we know to be true, three days into Jacques Martin’s second tenure as Sens’ head coach.

Martin is a taskmaster, keen on attention to detail and a stickler for structure. Some close to the Senators believe Martin is exactly what Ottawa needs right now to right the ship – particularly for a younger team that works hard but struggles to stay on track.

Martin, 71, is also one of the oldest coaches in NHL history. That isn’t ageism, but a fact. His first season as NHL head coach came with the St. Louis Blues in 1986-87, years before every charge on his current roster was even a twinkle in his parents’ eyes. The Sens’ franchise record holder in every coaching category also hasn’t been a head coach in nearly 12 full years.

Is Martin long for the job? Senators president of hockey operations and interim GM Steve Staios didn’t offer a timeline on a coaching search, but indicated they will be seeking a permanent replacement to D.J. Smith. Since owner Michael Andlauer appointed Staios, the Sens have been nothing if not thorough. They are not in a rush.

“We want to make sure it’s the right fit for our group and the right structure for our group moving forward,” Staios told reporters on Tuesday. “These things do take time. The last thing we wanted to do was make any rash decisions. Even with the decision we made today on the coaching side, we were patient.”

Some would argue the Sens were too patient. They are also believed to have not begun a GM search in earnest since Pierre Dorion was fired on Nov. 1, though Andlauer has made it clear he likes a “two-headed monster” approach to running his organization with separate president and GM roles.

The Sens have to at least allow for Martin to earn a longer look. It’s happened before in Ottawa. Remember Cory Clouston? The Sens went 19-11-4 under Clouston in 2008-09, even though he was thought of almost exclusively as a stopgap guy at the time, and that earned Clouston two more full seasons behind the bench.

If not, here are five candidates to be next head coach of the Ottawa Senators:

1. John Gruden

No, not Super Bowl champion Jon Gruden. The real John Gruden, who is off to a solid start in his first year as head coach of the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. You don’t have to look very far back in Andlauer’s playbook to understand why he is a prime candidate. Staios was one of Andlauer’s very first hires when his purchase of the Sens was completed, his appointment was one of the worst kept secrets in hockey. They had formed a strong trust working and winning together with the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs. The same bond exists with Gruden, Staios and Andlauer, as Gruden guided Hamilton to a 76-45-15 record and the OHL title in 2017-18. Gruden, 53, then moved on to the NHL, where he spent the last five seasons as an assistant coach with the Islanders and Bruins, before jumping back to be a head coach in the AHL. Gruden also played career 22 games as a Senator under Martin. One lingering question: Should the Sens go with a second straight first-time NHL head coach?

2. Jay Woodcroft

The wound is still fresh for Woodcroft, who paid the price for the Edmonton Oilers’ awful 2-9-1 start. Even as Edmonton has gotten going under Kris Knoblauch, there is still a sense lingering in Oil Country that getting rid of Woodcroft might have been an overreaction. Woodcroft, 47, won three playoff rounds with the Oilers and lasted but one full 82-game season behind the bench. If you take out this brutal start to the season which was like Murphy’s Law – everything that could go wrong, did – then Woodcroft had a .683 points percentage over his first two campaigns. There’s little doubt Woodcroft is a smart tactician, tireless worker and strong communicator. He also seems to have a personality that would mesh well with a more reserved Staios, whom he would’ve crossed paths with last season while Staios was an Oilers advisor. Woodcroft makes his permanent home base in Ontario cottage country, not terribly far from Ottawa, and coaches always seem to be better in their second go-around.

3. Dean Evason

Evason’s story is not all that dissimilar to Woodcroft. In fact, if you also remove the 5-10-4 start to this season that cost him his job, Evason’s points percentage is very similar at .661 over a longer period of time behind the bench in Minnesota. The Wild enjoyed two 100-point seasons and playoff appearances under Evason with upwards of $15 million in dead salary cap space due to buyouts. Evason, 59, carries an intensity about him that definitely captures the attention of his players. Perhaps the most refreshing thing about his exit from Minnesota is his candid approach and attitude. Just a few days after his firing, he acknowledged some of his mistakes – including some frustration that set in – but said he was ready to coach again. “I didn’t wake up yesterday thinking I’m a shitty coach,” Evason told The Athletic‘s Michael Russo. “I woke up yesterday thinking I’m a f—ing good coach. I can coach. I’m ready to coach.” Evason’s wife is a flight attendant based in Montreal, a good family fit.

4. Claude Julien

If the Sens are looking for more experience, they don’t have to look very far because Julien grew up in the Ottawa Valley, played his minor hockey in Gloucester, Ont., and got his big break across the river with the Hull Olympiques. Julien, 63, is one of the most accomplished coaches of his generation. He helped the Boston Bruins to the Stanley Cup in 2011 and again to the Final in 2013. He has coached the 19th-most games (1274) in league history. And he was employed as an NHL head coach every single season from 2002-03 through 2020-21, with stops in Montreal (twice), New Jersey and Boston. Two seasons ago, Julien was the Team Canada head coach for both the Beijing Olympics and World Championships in Finland. He also guided Canada to gold in the Sochi Olympics in 2014 as an assistant on Mike Babcock’s staff. The belief is Julien is eager to get back on the bench, where he holds a career .587 points percentage.

5. Chris Kelly

Kelly is an intriguing fit if the Sens are thinking outside the box. Kelly was one of the more popular Senators players over the Eugene Melnyk era – universally respected for his grind and also his high Hockey IQ. He was thought of in Ottawa as an incredibly smart player. In all, Kelly played 545 games for the Sens over two stints. He’s spent the last five years working for the Bruins. For these last three seasons, Kelly has been an assistant coach, serving under both Bruce Cassidy and Jim Montgomery. Kelly, now 43, started his post-playing career with the Sens in the player development department and also held a similar role with the Bruins before moving behind the bench. It’s clear that Kelly lacks in experience compared to some of these other candidates, which likely makes him a longshot. But he’d be a fit with the fan base and it’s certainly possible that two of the best coaches in the league (Montgomery and Cassidy) have rubbed off on him enough to hit the ground running.

For Further Consideration (in alphabetical order): Daniel Alfredsson, Craig Berube, Gerard Gallant, Jay McKee, Patrick Roy, Brad Shaw.

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