The poor performance of Tim Stützle’s Ottawa Senators has cost coach DJ Smith his job.
The team from the North American professional ice hockey league NHL announced its separation from the 46-year-old on Monday. Jacques Martin will step in as interim coach, and he will be assisted as an assistant by ex-professional Daniel Alfredsson, who is the most successful player in Ottawa’s history with 1,108 scorer points.
Stützle’s team is clearly falling short of expectations this season and is in last place in the Eastern Conference. On Sunday the Canadians lost 3:6 to the Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights. In the entire league, only the Chicago Blackhawks (19 points) and the San Jose Sharks (21) have collected fewer points than Ottawa (22).
Personally, things are going well for Stützle; with 29 points, the 21-year-old is his team’s best scorer.