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Greg Wyshynski, ESPN
Ottawa Senators owner Michael Andlauer has named president of hockey operations Steve Staios the team’s new general manager, the team announced Sunday.
Dave Poulin was named senior vice president of hockey operations, having served in a similar role with the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2009 to 2014. Ryan Bowness, an assistant general manager with the Senators, is now the team’s associate general manager.
Staios, 50, had been the Senators’ interim general manager since they parted ways with Pierre Dorion on Nov. 1. Dorion was dismissed after the Senators lost a first-round draft pick for their role in an invalidated trade in 2022 involving forward Evgenii Dadonov and the Anaheim Ducks.
Staios was tasked with finding the right candidate, saying in November that “as this sort of starts to unfold, we’re going to take a longer look at what our options might be and who might be available.”
When the search ended, it was Staios who was apparently the best option. It marked the second time this year that an interim general manager leading a candidate search ended up getting hired himself, as that situation played out with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Kyle Dubas.
Staios joined the Senators on Sept. 29, after Andlauer completed his purchase of the team. Staios had served as the president (2015) and general manager (2016-22) of the Hamilton Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League. Andlauer owned the Bulldogs when Staios led them to multiple championships. Staios had also been a special assistant with the Edmonton Oilers, with whom he played eight of his 16 seasons as an NHL defenseman.
It’s been a turbulent season for the Senators, whom many believed could break out in the Atlantic Division. They have the worst points percentage in the Eastern Conference (.419) and lost restricted free agent forward Shane Pinto to a 41-game suspension for violating the NHL’s rules on sports wagering. Along with Dorion, coach D.J. Smith was also let go, replaced by team adviser Jacques Martin.
Source: www.espn.com