The Senators have found their man.

Photo: Silhouette of head coach Travis Green, Ottawa Senators logo
After an extensive search for their next head coach, the Ottawa Senators have made a decision.

The organization is hiring Travis Green as their next HC, per Darren Dreger. He was the interim boss for the New Jersey Devils until the end of the 2023-24 season.

Green’s longest tenure as a head coach came with the Vancouver Canucks from 2017-2021, but it didn’t go too well. The former player was appointed by the Devils in the second half of this past campaign after they canned Lindy Ruff.

Green had a long career in the league, playing 14 seasons for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Phoenix Coyotes, New York Islanders, and Anaheim Ducks.

Tall task ahead for Green with Senators

This past season was a nightmare for Ottawa, finishing second-last in the Atlantic Division with a 37-41-4 record. Green appeared to be their main candidate in the past days, with insider Elliotte Friedman saying early Monday it was only a matter of time until the Senators hire him:

“So this is what I’m hearing. I’m hearing all eyes on Travis Green here,” Friedman said on Sportsnet. “And look, I want to be careful about this. Nothing is done until it’s done. But I’m hearing all eyes on Travis Green. And we’ll see what the next few days bring.”

Clearly, it didn’t take a few days as the deal is essentially done. As Dreger reported, they’re just finalizing some details between the two parties. It’s an interesting pick for Ottawa, though. Green has a .443 winning percentage as a coach and never took the Canucks to the playoffs, getting fired early in his fifth season there.

The Senators haven’t made the postseason in seven years and fired DJ Smith back in December. Jacques Martin stepped in and led the team to a .500 record the rest of the way, but it’s clear Ottawa needs a proven boss with a decorated resume.

While Green doesn’t exactly have that, he does possess some experience. It will be interesting to see if he has a say in what offseason moves the franchise makes because they need more offensive pieces and possibly some better goaltending as well.