The Senators have reassigned goalie coach Zac Bierk, replacing him with former NHL goalie Justin Peters.
Throughout much of this season, Ottawa Senators goalies Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg have been near the bottom of the NHL in most statistical categories. So when head coach D.J. Smith was fired last month, along with assistant Davis Payne, it was something of a surprise there weren't also changes that day to help their struggling netminders.
The Senators addressed that today by re-assigning goalie coach Zac Bierk to a scouting and development position. Bierk had been in the position since 2021 when he was brought in to help the struggling Matt Murray. Under Bierk, Murray never did find his game, nor has any other goalie.
This season, which is already lost, Korpisalo is 8-15 with a 3.70 goals against average and an .884 save percentage. Anton Forsberg is 7-8 with a 3.35 goals against and an .889 save percentage.
In fairness, a lot of that can be placed at the feet of the club's shoddy defensive play during Bierk's time with the club. But the Sens wanted a fresh start all the same.
“Zac is exceptionally dedicated,” GM Steve Staios said in a club press release. “However, it is our belief that the time has come for a fresh perspective. Justin Peters is highly regarded and will bring strong leadership qualities to our group. He’s deserving of this opportunity. We’re excited to welcome him to Ottawa.”
Peters played 83 NHL games with Carolina, Washington, and Arizona and spent the last three-plus seasons as Belleville’s goaltending coach. At 37, he's ten years younger than Bierk, and as such, perhaps he brings a little more relatability to the table.
Peters has definitely been around the block as a player, suiting up for 14 different pro teams: Albany River Rats, Florida Everblades, Charlotte Checkers, Carolina Hurricanes, Hershey Bears, Washington Capitals, Tucson Roadrunners, Arizona Coyotes, Texas Stars, Riga Dynamo, Cologne Sharks, Chomutov Pirati, Liberec Bili Tygri HC, and Mlada Boleslav BK.
If Peters can help finally stabilize things in Ottawa, he'll have a home here for a long time.