OTTAWA — After 100 days at the helm of the Ottawa Senators owner Michael Andlauer believes he has set the pieces in place for a solid foundation.
On Sunday afternoon the Senators announced Steve Staios would take the general manager role on a permanent basis and take over the role of president of hockey operations, appointed Dave Poulin to the role of senior vice-president, hockey operations and promoted Ryan Bowness to associate general manager.
“This move is consistent with the vision of having hockey operations managed by two first class individuals who will collaborate, complimenting each other and establishing a stable foundation for our hockey operations,” said Andlauer during a press conference before the Senators' game against the Buffalo Sabres.
Staios and Poulin previously worked together in 2012 with the Toronto Maple Leafs organization and have remained close over the years.
Poulin brings a wide wealth of experience to the Senators organization. A former player with over 700 games to his credit, he spent five years in the Leafs organization in a role similar to this one, in addition to being GM of the Toronto Marlies and most recently working at TSN as an analyst.
Andlauer and Poulin crossed paths numerous times over the years and became close friends along the way. It’s clear that as Andlauer familiarizes himself with the organization and starts making changes he’s surrounding himself with people he values and trusts
After parting ways with longtime general manager Pierre Dorion, Staios stepped in as interim GM, but it was expected that someone would be hired externally to fill the role on a permanent basis as Andlauer had expressed wanting a two-headed monster.
As they went through the process Andlauer said he felt Staios was the right man with the right skill set and finding someone with a similar philosophy who could help shoulder the responsibility might be the way to go.
“I think this really stabilizes the management structure for us,” Staios said. “You know, it’s a big job, and there’s a lot of work to be done and having (Poulin) alongside and doing the work with us, along with Ryan Bowness and the rest of the staff, I think that now is an opportunity to move forward.
Poulin admitted things came together fairly quickly and he’s excited at the opportunity, but he’s also looking forward to collaboration.
“This is about joining people,” Poulin said. “This is about Michael (Andlauer) and Steve (Staios) and the people they’re putting in place and I know them well and this is an opportunity to be with what I believe is a very special group.”
There is no shortage of work ahead for the group
The Senators (13-18-0) sit last in the Eastern Conference and are in a salary cap nightmare with the challenge of finding a way to fit Shane Pinto back into the fold when he’s set to return after serving his 41-game suspension Jan. 21st.
“It’s challenging, but I’m confident that we can get it done,” said Staios. “I mean the situation that we inherited and that we’re in is not ideal, but certainly we’re confident that we’ll be fine.
The Senators made a coaching change on Dec. 18 when D.J. Smith was replaced by Jacques Martin, but Staios admitted he’s still waiting to see that change resonate with the players.
Under Martin and Daniel Alfredsson, who is an assistant coach, the Senators have gone 2-3-0, including the most recent 6-2 loss to New Jersey Friday night.
“We’ve talked about adding discipline and structure to our game,” said Staios. “I think we’ve seen some signs of it to games before our last game. It looked like it was moving in the right direction and dropped off again so I think time will tell.”
Staios believes they have the right coaching staff in place to implement a better structure and help the team play the right way and that he and Poulin and company will evaluate the roster as the season progresses.
“When you’re putting a team together it’s tempting to look at all the pieces and think you have the perfect pieces, but they’re not perfect if they don’t go together,” said Poulin. “I think that’s the challenge that a lot of teams face in the National Hockey League.”
Poulin added that what looks good on paper for the team doesn’t always work on the ice and that’s the challenge this group will face.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 31, 2023.
Lisa Wallace, The Canadian Press
