Pierre Dorion shed light Thursday on the Ottawa Senators' decision to place veteran forward Zack Smith on waivers earlier this week.

"We knew that if we let the team know we are not going to accept what happened last (season), including how Zack played, that hopefully the message would be passed to the room," the club's general manager told TSN's Brent Wallace.

Dorion stressed that it wasn't easy, but Smith's play justified the move.

"It was probably the toughest discussion I have ever had with a player." the GM said. "Zack is a high-character person. He is (the) heart and soul of that dressing room, but at the same time, it was performance related."

Smith cleared waivers on Wednesday after being placed on the wire the day before. He'll play for the Senators on Thursday night in their preseason game against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The 30-year-old has three years left on his contract at a cap hit of $3.25 million. He managed five goals and 19 points last season.