Senators aim to halt coaching carousel with right choice this time around

The Ottawa Senators' coaching carousel continues to turn and where it stops this time could have a huge impact on the future of the franchise.

Let's begin with a brief look back at what's gone on over the past decade.

The fun really began after the Stanley Cup final in 2007 when then general manager John Muckler was fired and replaced by then head coach Bryan Murray.

Murray, a hometown boy, was a wonderful fit in Ottawa.

Both personable — unlike Pierre Gauthier and Marshall Johnston before him — and experienced — unlike Mel Bridgeman, Randy Sexton and Rick — Dudley it was thought he'd have what it took to keep the Senators in the upper echelon of the NHL. 

Murray couldn't find his own replacement

After his move to senior adviser on the weekend we can now look back over his tenure and realize that he did many good things here — think Kyle Turris, Craig Anderson and possibly Colin White — but he failed in the all-important task of finding a replacement who was as competent as he was at coaching the team.

Whether it was wishful thinking or limited resources, his attempts to promote from within with John Paddock, Cory Clouston and most recently Dave Cameron were disasters.

And he didn't fare much better when he went outside the organization to give Craig Hartsburg and Paul MacLean chances.

Enter another in-house call-up in newly appointed GM Pierre Dorion to try to succeed where Murray failed.

Unlike his predecessor, Dorion won't get multiple attempts to get this right. His first hire will be crucial for two reasons.

Karlsson, fan base becoming restless

First, the fan base is getting restless, and second, the club's franchise player could be growing impatient as well.

Erik Karlsson has three years left on his contract, but at only 25, the all-world talent would be a hot commodity on the open market come the summer of 2019.

To keep both the captain and the fans in Ottawa happy, Dorion has the next several weeks to find a head coach who can bring some stability to the organization.

Jacques Martin did it when he came here in 1995 by implementing a defence-first system that was good enough to beat almost any team in the league — except for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the playoffs. 

Now, Martin at the time didn't have significant head coaching experience in the league, but I'm guessing that Dorion's choice will.

Whether it be someone current who gets let go by another organization, or someone with past success who has been out of the league for a while, there is little room for surprises here. 

Eugene Melnyk has promised to make available all the resources necessary to get the best coach available and that's good news.

Although money doesn't always guarantee success, it's crucial that both the players and the fans in Ottawa see that every effort is being made to get this franchise headed back in the right direction.