Greetings Toronto Maple Leafs fans!
As anticipated, the Ottawa Senators made a significant move by parting ways with head coach DJ Smith, a former assistant coach for the Maple Leafs. This decision had been hinted at when the Senators brought Jaques Martin on board as a “Special Advisor” about a week ago. Interestingly, Martin, the most popular and successful coach in Senators history, advised the team to relieve Smith of his duties and stepped behind the bench himself. This unexpected turn of events follows Martin’s storied coaching career, despite never clinching a Stanley Cup and experiencing playoff defeats to the Maple Leafs on multiple occasions.
With the coaching change now official, the focus shifts to the future of the Senators. Currently in a three-way battle for last place with the Chicago Blackhawks and the San Jose Sharks, Ottawa faces an uphill battle in the standings. With 22 points, they hold a slim lead over San Jose (21) and a three-point advantage over Chicago (19).
Congrats to @CassieCampbell.
As just announced on Monday Night Hockey she's leaving us at Sportsnet to work as a Senior Advisor in the PWHL.
Great teammate, great person.
— Jeff Marek (@JeffMarek) December 19, 2023
The Senators find themselves 16 points behind the final Atlantic playoff spot and 12 points behind the last Wild Card position. Making the playoffs would require a near-miracle, and the best-case scenario might be improving enough to transition from a lottery pick to the 17th overall selection.
In other news, Canadian hockey legend and Sportsnet analyst Cassie Campbell-Pascall is departing her on-air role to join the PWHL as a senior advisor. Meanwhile, Toronto Marlies player Dylan Gambrell earned the AHL’s player of the week title after contributing two goals and three assists in two road game victories.
Matthews on Saturday flu; woozy post pre-game nap, got to SBA intending to play, but scratched. “Without going into detail about everything, I was throwing up all afternoon. Thought I could get it slowed, but couldn’t. Felt good today. Hopefully this flushes out the whole system"
— Lance Hornby 🇺🇦 (@sunhornby) December 18, 2023
The Leafs, however, faced a setback as a stomach bug affected the dressing room, raising concerns ahead of their upcoming game against the New York Rangers. Despite this, the team is hopeful for a repeat of their impressive seven-goal performance against New York from last Tuesday. While the defense has shown improvement, questions remain about further enhancements.
In a significant development for Canada’s World Juniors aspirations, the Boston Bruins have allowed Matt Poitras to join the national team. Finally, the article concludes with a heartwarming tale of someone coming to Canada and wholeheartedly embracing the nation’s passionate hockey culture.
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