The Ottawa Senators have fired head coach Guy Boucher and replaced him with Marc Crawford on an interim basis.
The coaching change in itself is not a surprise given the Senators’ place in the standings, but the timing of it is. The assumption was that Boucher would likely be let go at the end of the season, but instead Crawford has been given a probationary period for Pierre Dorion to determine whether he is the right fit.
Here’s what the @Senators are looking for in a new head coach. Who will it be? pic.twitter.com/sFGGeoWjbS
— SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (@SiriusXMNHL) March 1, 2019
Crow has gone to great lengths to prove that he can be an NHL head coach again, which includes a stop in Switzerland and taking the job as Senators’ associate coach when Boucher was hired. The question is, will Crawford focus on developing the young players more than Boucher did, or will he try to win as many games as possible because he believes that will secure the job for next season?
Boucher wanted to win, but Sens clearly didn’t have the roster for that. Now that Matt Duchene, Mark Stone, and Ryan Dzingel are gone, wins will be even more difficult to come by. Fantasy owners that want to win their leagues this season can probably flat out ignore the Senators. Keeper leagues should be paying attention, though.
If Crawford focuses on development, players like Drake Batherson and Logan Brown will receive more opportunity right away. Batherson received just 11 minutes of icetime on Thursday and was sent back to the AHL on Friday, although he could be back soon. Brown is in the same predicament as Batherson and could also be recalled soon.
If Crawford decides he wants to maximize win total and ignores the youngsters in the process, veterans like Zack Smith, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Mikkel Boedker, and Magnus Paajarvi will play a lot more than the youngsters. As much as the Senators likely want to save face and win as much as possible to prevent Colorado from receiving the first or second overall pick, the Sens have zero control over where the lottery balls fall. So giving the youth some sort of chance seems to be the way to go, which will at least give the weary fan base something to feel positive about.
Fantasy owners are weighing in on the Forum. Give your take here!
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