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Reports: Senators let Pierre McGuire go after less than one season on the job

It's one and done for Pierre McGuire in Ottawa.

According to multiple reports, the Senators have fired McGuire from his post as senior vice president of player development. McGuire was brought on at the end of the last season following a long run as a broadcaster with NBC Sports to work with general manager Pierre Dorion at the top of the organizational chart for hockey operations. McGuire had two years remaining on his contract, according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.

Ottawa had a disappointing season, though it's hard to lay too much blame at the feet of McGuire for the sole reason that he was unable to put his stamp on the franchise.

Pierre McGuire was fired by the Senators after spending less than one year on the job. (Photo by Ben Coles/NHLI via Getty Images)
Pierre McGuire was fired by the Senators after spending less than one year on the job. (Photo by Ben Coles/NHLI via Getty Images)

There was a certain level of anxiousness and overexcitement with the Senators believing they were emerging from a long rebuild, which may have been perpetuated by McGuire. But any actions and sentiment related to that emotional element were inconsequential and seemingly felt and acted upon organization-wide. Though there were some eyebrows raised after the Senators' 2021 NHL draft class, and the Travis Hamonic acquisition was beyond bizarre, the only definitive missteps made in the 10 months McGuire had a seat at the table was believing the Senators were more competitive than they really were.

That said, it's worth wondering how influential McGuire really was when considering Ottawa's draft plans and roster changes. After all, he was second in command.

Still it seemed like an awkward and delicate balance the Senators were trying to achieve with Dorion and McGuire working in tandem. There were immediate questions over succession plans and potential power struggles when former Senators owner Eugene Melnyk made the hire last July.

Those concerns didn't wind up developing into controversies, though it's also possible that intentions changed when Melnyk died in late March.

The Senators are transitioning into a new era without Melnyk, which evidently does not include McGuire.

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