Steve Staios has been permanently installed as the Ottawa Senators’ next general manager, the team confirmed Sunday.
Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations, had been serving in the role on an interim basis since November when the Senators parted ways with former general manager Pierre Dorion.
Dorion was let go after the NHL stripped the Senators of a first-round draft pick for their role in the voided trade of Evgenii Dadonov from the Vegas Golden Knights to the Anaheim Ducks in 2022.
Prior to being hired by new Senators’ owner Michael Andlauer in September, Staios had a 16-year NHL career as a defenceman, mostly with the Edmonton Oilers.
The duo also worked together with the Ontario Hockey League’s Hamilton Bulldogs from 2015 to 2022, winning OHL titles in 2018 and 2022.
In addition to his general manager duties, Staios will remain in his role as president of hockey operations, the team said.
Staios takes the GM reins permanently as the club dwells in the basement of the Eastern Conference’s Atlantic Division, with a record of 13-18-0.
His hiring also comes just a few weeks after the Sens fired head coach D.J. Smith and announced Jacques Martin — who coached the club in the late 1990s and early 2000s — would return to his spot behind the bench on an interim basis.
Staios alluded to all the recent shakeups, which included bringing back retired Sens legend Daniel Alfredsson, at a Sunday afternoon press conference.
“I believe we have the right coaching staff in place to implement those right core values, to play the right way,” he said.
“And then as time goes on, you start to evaluate the roster and you see how everybody fits in and what the dynamics are and what changes need to be made.”
Former NHLer Dave Poulin also hired
The Senators also announced Sunday that they’d hired hockey analyst and former NHLer Dave Poulin as their senior vice-president of hockey operations.
Poulin played in more than 700 NHL games with the Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins, and Washington Capitals.
The Timmins, Ont., native had most recently been covering the Senators as an analyst with TSN, the team said.
In a third move, the club promoted Ryan Bowness from assistant general manager to associate general manager.