Ottawa Senators to Hire Travis Green as Head Coach

The punches just keep coming for Ottawa hockey fans.

Only a few weeks into a very important offseason, it appears the Sens have found their new head coach in... Travis Green.

Final details are still being worked on. Indications are Travis Green will be the next head coach of the Ottawa Senators.

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) May 6, 2024

Green most recently served as interim head coach for the New Jersey Devils, after they fired Lindy Ruff in March of this year. Before that, he had served as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks from 2017 to 2021, where his most memorable moment was getting fired so that Bruce Boudreau could step in and play the hero.

It's certainly possible that Green will end up being the perfect fit for this Sens team, but at first glance this move is a bit of a head-scratcher. It feels like the sort of coaching hire the Melnyk-era Sens used to make; going for the cheaper, less established option. If they want to participate in the NHL's coaching carousel by hiring someone who's coached in the NHL before, why him? Why not any of the other established coaches currently on the market? He coached some very bad Vancouver teams and a very bad New Jersey team. You have to go back to his AHL days to find any successful teams he's coached.

Travis Green will take over from Jacques Martin, who served as interim head coach after D.J. Smith was let go last fall.

Update: The team has officially announced that Green has been signed to a four year deal