Boucher will be back behind the bench next season
Head coach, entire staff keeping their jobs as they try to get team back on track
Coach Guy Boucher can make plans for next season.
He’ll be back behind the Ottawa Senators bench in September with his entire coaching staff in place.
Senators general manager Pierre Dorion and assistant Randy Lee liked what they heard during a lengthy meeting with Boucher on Monday at Canadian Tire Centre and Tuesday it was confirmed he’ll return next year to try to get the club back on track.
While there had been some speculation the Senators may make changes to the staff, assistants Marc Crawford, Martin Raymond, Rob Cookson, Kris Young (video) and goalie coach Pierre Groulx are all going to remain in place. However, there will be changes to some of their job descriptions.
Dorion told TSN 1200 on Tuesday afternoon that Boucher will return.
“We look forward to continuing the process we started last year and seeing a great improvement in the upcoming season,” Dorion told the radio station.
In a meeting at the end of the season, Boucher — and his staff — were challenged by Dorion and Lee to present a plan that would improve the club next season, and that plan was outlined during the meeting.
The 46-year-old Boucher will be in the final year of his contract and Dorion is hopeful the man that led the Senators back to the Eastern Conference final one year ago can push the right buttons to return Ottawa to respectability.
Dorion said there had to be time for reflection after the year ended and that’s why the Senators wanted to do a full review before confirming Boucher’s return.
“When we met with the coaches, it was a few days after the season, and there was probably a bit more emotion,” Dorion said. “We all care about winning and we suggested — as management — how can we get better and areas of change.
“They came up with a game plan and we’re really happy with the direction the coaching staff wants to go. It seems to align with our philosophy as a management staff.”
Not only will Boucher take over the power play — which was ranked in the bottom five in the league last season — Raymond is being moved off the bench to handle the job as the eye in the sky while Cookson is going downstairs during games to work with the players.
Crawford, the club’s associate coach, will continue to handle how the club employs the use of its defence, but he won’t be in charge of the power play next year and it’s expected Raymond will run the penalty killing units.
In the end, Dorion didn’t feel there was a need to make a personnel change.
“The one thing we’re really excited about is that Guy has taken ownership of the power play and he’ll be running the power play next year,” Dorion said.
Yes, the Senators decided to keep everybody, but make no mistake: the club seriously pondered making a change before opting for stability.
At the Senators’ end of the year press conference, Dorion expressed frustration with the usage of the young players by Boucher and said the team didn’t practise enough. Boucher couldn’t have been pleased that Dorion told reporters “rest is a weapon — if I hear that one more time I’ll go crazy.”
But let’s be honest, Dorion was likely trying to send a message to Boucher that if he’s going to be back, things have to change and the status quo cannot remain. There were times last year it looked like the Senators lacked accountability and it’s Boucher’s job to make them accountable.
Dorion repeated Tuesday the Senators aren’t going to have nearly as many days off next season as they did last year.
“Our intentions, and they were discussed with the coaching staff right after the year, was that we’re a skating team and we need to practise,” Dorion said. “I think ‘speed’ was Guy’s mantra when he came on board and I think we (deviated) a bit from it last year.
“We need to skate hard in practice, and to play hard and fast, as much as possible, and they understood that.”
Dorion said he and Lee liked what they heard from Boucher.
That doesn’t mean there are any guarantees he’ll finish the season. The Senators have to get off to a strong start and the areas where the club wants to see improvement have to be better because falling to 30th place wasn’t acceptable.
Maybe the decision to give Boucher an ultimatum, to shape up or ship out, will be exactly what he needs. He was fired by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2013 because he couldn’t — or wouldn’t — make the adjustments necessary to get the Bolts back on track. The Senators didn’t want to see a repeat performance here.
During the session Monday with Dorion and Lee, Boucher came well prepared and armed with a new approach the Senators feel can help them right the ship.
“I don’t really want to get into every little detail, but it was a really positive and productive conversation,” Dorion said.
Now, Boucher and the Senators have to get the job done on the ice.