Earlier this week, the Ottawa Senators wrapped up their season with an overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
A fitting conclusion to a great year.
And while the words “great year” sound like an exaggeration when referring to a team that will likely finish 6th in the division and 23rd overall, it’s a testament to the progress we’ve seen over the last five months.
In a year where player development and team building were the ultimate goals, it’s hard to view this season as anything other than a resounding success. And when you look at the way the Senators played down the stretch, it’s clear that the best is yet to come.
With players heading their separate ways for the long summer, Ottawa General Manager Pierre Dorion held his 40-minute end-of-the-year press conference yesterday.
When you add in the 26-minute Q&A that followed on TSN1200, it was more than an hour of reflections on the season and hints about what comes next for the Ottawa Senators.
Dorion kept things pretty tight for the most part. Plenty of reflections on the season that just ended but he was pretty careful about tipping his hand heading into the coming months.
With that said, a few general thoughts on what we heard from the GM yesterday.
-One thing I’ll say right off the hop- I think we’re in good hands. Pierre Dorion has absorbed a healthy amount of criticism in this market over the last few years and some of it is justified. When you’re asked to tear it down to the studs and then build it back up on a budget, there are bound to be some unpopular decisions. And some mistakes. Every GM makes them. But listening to Dorion yesterday, the thing that really jumped out, is the clarity of his vision for this team. In the early stages of this rebuild, when talented veterans were being shipped out, it was easy to tune out on some of Dorion’s messaging. Eyes can glaze over when you’re talking about the importance of character and team building at a time that star players are walking out the door. But now, more than three years into this, you can see the value of those statements. When the young players are all talking about how much they enjoy being around each other and playing for each other, statements like “we’re a team” start to make a whole lot of sense. While I still wish they would bring in some front office support- either in the form of a President of Hockey Operations or an additional Assistant GM with some experience in the league- this is as confident as I’ve been with Dorion as GM. There will always be those lingering questions about financial commitment from the Owner but it’s clear that Pierre Dorion has this thing pointed in the right direction and he seems to understand what it will take to get to the next level.
-Which sort of leads me to a second observation. Clarity of vision internally is one thing but for a General Manager, there are times that it’s just as important that you can explain that vision publicly. And in that regard, Dorion has come a long way in the last few years as GM. His statements and answers to questions are far more calculated than they were in the early days. In the past, Dorion had a tendency to go off script a little bit and it was in those moments that he’d often get himself into trouble with fans (er Twitter) hanging on his every word. And he’s clearly learned from that. Listening to the 60 minutes of audio from Dorion yesterday, it’s obvious that he’s far more deliberate with his words. Saying what needs to be said but not saying too much is the key here. The media can be a very helpful tool for a GM but it can also get them into trouble. In that sense, Dorion has come a long way.
-Adding character veterans that could both push and teach the kids was the priority this past off-season. This wasn’t a surprise if you’ve spent any time on this site throughout the year but it was nice to hear Pierre Dorion hammer away on it a bit during his remarks. Hearing the thought process behind the off-season moves and the lessons they learned from previous failed rebuilds validates a lot of what we’ve talked about on this site over the last few months. Dorion took a ton of heat for some of his off-season moves and subsequently, DJ Smith dealt with a lot of criticism for his deployment of players in the first month of the season. But it was mostly because some people didn’t really understand what they were trying to do. Even if you don’t completely agree the approach- the idea that respected veterans could teach the young players something and create an environment where the kids had to earn their spots- hopefully yesterday at least helped explain the thought process behind it.
-Maybe just as importantly as Dorion’s acknowledgement that they priortized adding character this past off-season was his suggestion that the emphasis will shift heading into this summer. They added respected veterans, those veterans pushed the young core in the way they were hoping and now, it’s time to turn the reins over. And at the same time, if they do make significant additions this off-season, identifying talented, impact players will be the priority. Character and fit within the team dynamic will certainly be a consideration but there seemed to be a recognition from Dorion that if they do add, on-ice impact is the priority. Dorion did specifically say that he doesn’t see the Senators as a salary cap team next season and that probably shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. The GM talked at length about the importance of ensuring they leave space to sign the young core when the time comes. Makes sense.
Anything jump out at you from yesterday’s media availability? Are you confident that Pierre Dorion is the guy to navigate this next phase of the rebuild? What do you see as his priorities heading into the off-season? How bout this weather we’re having?
Much to discuss.
