The Ottawa Senators received two pieces of exciting news from the National Hockey League this week, but general manager Steve Staios is focused on the playoff hunt above all else.
On Thursday, the league announced that the Senators will have the 32nd pick in this summer’s NHL Draft in a modified punishment for its role in the 2021 trade of Evgenii Dadonov to the Vegas Golden Knights. Ottawa was initially forced to forfeit a first-round pick in one of three separate years of their choosing, but the league lowered the punishment after the team applied to the league for reconsideration.
On Friday, it was announced by the league that the Senators would play the Chicago Blackhawks for two games in Duesseldorf, Germany next season as part of the Global Series.
Staios spoke with TSN’s Claire Hanna before their game against the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday, where he discussed the two announcements from the league, his thoughts on this season and the outlook of the team moving forward.
Staios grateful for NHL reconsidering Sens’ punishment: ‘It’s valuable to the team’ Senators general manager Steve Staios joins TSN’s Claire Hanna to discuss the NHL modifying Ottawa’s punishment of a loss of a first-round pick for the mishandling of Evgenii Dadonov’s trade to Vegas in 2021, how he approached the trade deadline this year, the No. 1 priority for the Sens in the offseason, and more.
“It’s important [to get that pick back],” Staios told Hanna. “It’s valuable to the team and the organization. I’m just very grateful for [Senators owner] Michael Andlauer, his passion – this was his work. I’m also grateful to the league and to [NHL commissioner] Gary Bettman for reconsidering.
“I think they understood that at the end of the day, it wasn’t done under our watch, and I hope it’s a sign of respect as well. We continue to try to do things right here in Ottawa.”
It didn’t take long for Staios’ attention to turn to the team, which is currently sitting five points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 18 games remaining on the schedule entering play on Saturday.
The Senators have won six of their past 10 games, and have earned points in eight of their last 10. Of teams in the Atlantic Division, only the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres have more points in the past 10 games than the Senators.
“I really like our team,” Staios said. “I like our depth, I like the way that Travis [Green] and the [coaching staff] have coached them to play in a consistent style. We’ve evolved a little bit from last year, where we can win different ways, we’re creating more offence.”
The Senators made the playoffs with 97 points a season ago (45-30-7). This current Senators team is on pace for 94 points, which is not likely to see them in a playoff spot at the end of the season. Staios points to improved play in the Atlantic Division as part of the reason for that.
“It’s a tough hill to climb,” he said. “There’s been stumbles in the season, and the division being as hard as it is this year, and the strength of it, certainly it’s a tough hill to climb, but there’s belief in the group, I believe in them, and if we can play consistently like we have over our last stretch – I believe we’re 9-2-2 in our last 13 – we’re playing good hockey.”
Staios largely stayed course with his roster at the NHL trade deadline earlier in the week. His two moves brought in depth pieces in forwards Warren Foegele from the Los Angeles Kings and David Perron from the Detroit Red Wings. Belief in the current roster played a large part in that decision.
“My approach going into the deadline was that we were in [the playoff hunt],” said Staios. “We’re not in a playoff spot as it is, but to watch our team play every night, to see the commitment and the consistency and the effort – I approached it aggressively, like we were in it, trying to help the team.
“And I think that we did … I look at where we were a couple of years ago and how we’ve been able to continue to pick away at this roster and add to it but it could lead to a very interesting off-season with all of the discussions. There just wasn’t a lot that shook loose at the deadline.”
The biggest sore spot for the Senators this season has been goaltending.
In all, five goaltenders have made starts for the Senators this season, and their team save percentage of .875 ranks worst in the NHL. Staios is confident the team can get the best version of Linus Ullmark for the stretch run still, despite the rocky results thus far.
“Goaltending positions have been volatile,” Staios said. “I think you see top-rated goaltenders all the time that may go through certain stretches. I think if you asked Linus, he hasn’t played to his expectation … I went out and got a top-class goaltender for this group because I believe in this group and I believe during our tenure here with Linus under contract, he gives us the best chance to get to that level of contending calibre.
Ullmark – a Vezina Trophy winner with the Boston Bruins in 2023 – has a save percentage of .883 this season and a goals-against average of 2.85. The save percentage is the worst in his career by a long shot, and the GAA is his highest since the 2018-19 season.
“It’s very hard to find goaltenders like this, and I can understand… when a goaltender goes through a stretch and is not playing well, it gets scrutinized with his position, but certainly I wouldn’t change a thing. We love having Linus Ullmark here, we believe in him and we believe he’s going to turn it around.”
The Senators missed the postseason in seven consecutive campaigns before they qualified as the eighth seed a year ago. Staios is hoping the team can prove that last year wasn’t just a blip in the radar.