RUMOR: Patrick Roy In Consideration For Head Coaching Job In Ottawa

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Tyler Ball
November 7, 2023 (10:57 PM)

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The Ottawa Senators have been surrounded by chaos in the past week. Today that chaos was added on to with a new rumor about their head coaching situation.

Ottawa Senators On The Hunt For A New Head Coach?

The Ottawa Senators announced that they had fired General Manager Pierre Dorion last week. His firing came after the loss of a first-round pick for a situation from 2021.

Earlier today, Michael Andlauer announced the resignation of Pierre Dorion as GM and the appointment of Steve Staios as the interim GM.

Hear from Michael and Steve as they addressed the media at today's news conference: https://ottsens.com/46LFDwJ

With this news announced fans and media expect head coach D.J. Smith to be not far behind out the door. Smith being on the hot seat has led to several people speculating on a replacement.

A new suggestion would bring a Hockey Hall Of Famer to Ottawa to be the bench boss.

Rumors Swirl Around Roy Returning To The NHL

Patrick Roy stepped down as the head coach of the Quebec Remparts after this past season. The speculation was that he would make the jump to the NHL after stepping down. He ended up not landing an NHL gig this offseason.

However, a new rumor suggests that Roy could be in town and links him to Ottawa.

»Things clearly aren't going well in Ottawa. What I can tell you, and I don't have any insider information otherwise, is that Patrick Roy was seen at a restaurant in Kanata»

«Well, he's allowed to go to a restaurant isn't he?»

«Of course, but going to Ottawa at a time like this it's a little odd»

While Roy could just be in town for unrelated business the timing is a bit odd. Roy has significant coaching experience both in junior hockey and the NHL. He could be the preferred choice for Interim General Manager Steve Staios if he is to get the permanent role.

If the Ottawa Senators do decide to make a coaching change this season Roy will definitely be a name to keep an eye on now.