Who Will be the Next Head Coach of the Ottawa Senators?

No matter how this season plays out, 71-year-old Jacques Martin is not in the position, age-wise, to be the long-term head coach of the Ottawa Senators. So general manager Steve Staios and his management team have begun their coaching search with hopes that the next man up can help lift the Sens out of the basement and into the playoffs.

Here are five candidates to be the next coach of the Ottawa Senators.

1. Craig Berube

Berube brings pedigree and a 2019 Stanley Cup ring on his finger. With the St. Louis Blues, Berube led one of the most remarkable runs the NHL has ever seen: he took the the Blues from last place overall in January to winning the Cup. And he wasn't a one-hit wonder. He got his team to the playoffs in four of his five seasons, with a record of 206-131-44. 

Berube is known for being a tough, detail-oriented and defensive-minded coach, qualities the Senators desperately need. Berube would also be the absolute opposite of D.J. Smith: he's not a players’ coach. Berube could bring the tough love to help the Sens learn to push through adversity. More accountability has already been a theme under interim coach Jacques Martin. 

Berube is also a friend and former NHL teammate of Dave Poulin, now the Senators' Senior Vice-President of Hockey Operations. They played parts of six seasons together in Philadelphia and Washington.

2. Jay Woodcroft

Woodcroft led the Edmonton Oilers to three playoff series wins in two seasons; his regular season record was 79-41-13. He took a rudderless ship and made it into a perennial Stanley Cup contender. Under Woodcroft, the Oilers had possibly the best power play in NHL history. At the same time, he took a team that struggled to defend and made them at least average, which is the plausible number one priority for any coach coming into the job in Ottawa. Get the team to play well in their own end. Woodcroft is also young and, at 47, could be the coach of the present and the future.

3. Todd McLellan

McLellan was recently fired by the LA Kings, who struggled after a great start to the season. McLellan's Kings reeled off an NHL record of 11 straight road wins, but the team would tail off dramatically – at one point winning 2 of 16 games. 

But overall, McLellan had a successful run with the Kings, posting a record of 164-130-44, and taking a perennial basement dweller and turning them into a contender. The Kings were able to solidify their defensive structure under McLellan while improving young players. That will be the task for the next Senators coach, with the likes of Tim Stutzle, Jake Sanderson, Brady Tkachuk, Shane Pinto, Ridly Greig on the roster – all of whom are under the age of 25. 

McLellan was unable to lead the Kings to playoff success, losing twice to the Oilers in the first round the past two seasons. However, he got his team to the playoffs in nine of his 14 seasons of coaching in the NHL. He is a proven steady hand and might be the coach to take the Senators from a young, immature team to a hardened playoff-caliber team.

4. John Gruden

Unlike the other coaches on the list, Gruden is the one without the big name value. Gruden is the current coach of the Toronto Marlies. And the reason he's included in this list is partly because of his ties to Staios and Senators’ owner Michael Andlauer. Gruden was the coach for Andlauer’s Hamilton Bulldogs from 2016-18 and led them to an OHL Championship and Memorial Cup berth. 

If Gruden were to be the next coach, it is clear that past familiarity would be a factor in his hiring. The worry is that the Senators need a proven coach to get them over the top, and Gruden is an unknown. But wherever Gruden has been, the team has been successful. As an assistant coach with the NY Islanders, they made back-to-back Eastern Conference finals in 2020 and 2021. As an assistant with the Boston Bruins last season, they achieved the record of most points in a regular season. Wherever Gruden goes, winning follows.

5. Daniel Alfredsson

This might be what a lot of Senators fans want deep in their hearts – having Daniel Alfredsson, the greatest player in Senators franchise history, as the head coach of the Ottawa Senators. This notion became a possibility when Alfredsson agreed to join Jacques Martin’s staff following D.J. Smith’s firing. And Alfredsson is more involved than most assistant coaches. Because of Martin’s age, he does not go on the ice, so Alfredsson and associate coach Jack Capuano run practices. 

Alfredsson has his imprint on this Senators team that;s been improving and winning of late with a record of 6-2-2 in their last 10 games. Of course, Alfredsson has never been a head coach before and lacks experience; but he is a former player who was meticulous and worked his butt off to become a Hockey Hall of Famer. It might be unlikely, but how much fun would it be to see Alfredsson be the face of the franchise once again.