The Ottawa Senators named D.J. Smith the team’s new coach on Thursday.
Smith, who is the 14th coach in the franchise’s history, has been an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs the past four seasons.
He replaces Guy Boucher, who was fired on March 1 amid a six-game losing streak and with the team’s record at 22-37-5. The Senators also had traded their top three scorers at the trade deadline — sending Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel to the Columbus Blue Jackets and Mark Stone to the Vegas Golden Knights.
“D.J. Smith is a winner. We believe he is the best person to drive the development and success of the Ottawa Senators,” Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said in a statement. “D.J is a great communicator and an exceptional strategist. His passionate approach, coupled with his ability to teach the game, is exactly what we were looking for throughout the process. We’re thrilled to welcome D.J. and his family to Ottawa.”