Ryan says the incoming head coach has to set the tone this fall and "skate these guys into the ground."
As the Ottawa Senators prepare to be mathematically eliminated and miss the playoffs for a seventh straight season, it would appear that at least one former player didn’t think too much of the tone that was set by former head coach D.J. Smith at training camp.
Bobby Ryan said this week on his podcast, “Coming in Hot,” that Smith’s training camps were a little “Country Club-ish.”
“They’re not going to have the (bad) start that they had this year,” Ryan said. “There were too many things in limbo this year that let the start become the middle of the season. That will not be the case next year. There’s no way.
"I’ve had camps with D.J. (Smith). They're a little country club-ish, right? Fitness testing was hard. Obviously, it's hard everywhere. But the camps in general were just a little country club-ish. So whoever comes in has to set the tone from day one at camp and just bury these guys and say ‘We’re going.'”
Smith guided the Senators through each of the last five training camps and Ryan was here for the first one, playing just 24 career games for Smith in 2019-20. During his time in Ottawa, Ryan also went to camps led by Paul MacLean, Dave Cameron, and Guy Boucher.
Ryan said that in the first ten games this season the Senators weren’t at the energy level they’re supposed to be at.
“For me, that’s the biggest thing,” Ryan said. “Day one of training camp has gotta be a blood bath. It has to be. You have to absolutely skate these guys into the ground and put the systems in place.
“You’ve gotta set the tone in some way, shape, or form.”
Smith was dismissed by the Senators back in December after posting a career record of 131-154-32. The Sens handed the coaching reins to Jacques Martin on a temporary basis while they thought about/waited on Smith's full-time replacement. While he won't return as coach, Martin's hands on experience with this group will be a valuable asset to GM Steve Staios as he formulates a blueprint and makes decisions on certain players.
Smith is now an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Kings.