STAIOS EXPLORING ALL OPTIONS AVAILABLE
Senators GM looking to make upgrades with draft, free agency fast approaching
Steve Staios is studying his options to improve the Ottawa Senators.
And the Senators' president of hockey operations and general manager has plenty to sort through.
“There's lots of dialogue right now,” Staios told Postmedia on Friday morning before teeing it up in the annual Senators' alumni tournament being held at the Loch March Golf and Country Club.
With the National Hockey League draft set for June 28-29 at The Sphere in Las Vegas, Staios confirmed trade talks have heated up since he started initial discussions with other general managers during last week's
NHL combine to test top prospects in Buffalo.
“It's been busy,” Staios said. “You know what happens, you get to the combine, you spend time interviewing the players and getting to know guys to prepare for the draft, but managers are around and you spend a lot of time with lots of ideas going back and forth.
“Each manager is looking at their group, they look at where they're at and what they might want to accomplish.”
After the Senators missed the playoffs for the seventh straight year, Staios has stated he's open for business. After hiring coach Travis Green and his staff, the focus is on putting the right pieces around the core.
The Senators would like to make upgrades at every position
Does Staios have any priorities when he looks at his roster?
“Yeah, there are some areas where you have to look at. You have to look at that, at the time, if the opportunity presents itself, but I think in general we're looking to improve in all areas,” Staios said.
Staios has no desire to roll back into camp with the same roster because this club isn't good enough. League sources say the Senators are listening to see what level of interest there is in defenceman Jakob Chychrun and wouldn't mind getting winger Mathieu Joseph's contract off the books.
We've dealt with Staios long enough to know he's not the type to get into details or tip his hand on potential moves, but the Senators have been linked to pretty much every player available in some way, shape or form.
An area the Senators need to improve is in the net. Postmedia has reported that Staios has been “aggressive” in his pursuit of Calgary netminder Jacob Markstrom, but has also pushed hard on Boston's Linus Ullmark and has kicked the tires on Nashville's Juuse Saros.
Staios hasn't ruled out the possibility of bringing back Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg to see if the answers can come from within. That appears to be unlikely, but it's an option.
“Both goalies are capable of playing better,” said Staios. “We have to all share in the responsibility of how we played in front of them. They're the last line of defence. Certainly, they're real pros, and their comments after the season were that they know they need to be better. That's the hope.”
The NHL calendar is entering a pivotal stretch with qualifying offers for restricted free agents due June 30 and unrestricted free agency set to open Canada Day at noon.
Staios said he's holding talks with the club's restricted free agents. The club is trying to get centre Shane Pinto signed to a long-term deal, but sources say there's still a gap to bridge to get a contract in place. There is talk in NHL circles Pinto's camp wants a five- or six-year deal in the Us$5-million range per season.
The club also has to get rugged winger Parker Kelly under contract because he emerged as an important piece under interim coach Jacques Martin.
A decision has to be made on RFA defenceman Erik Brannstrom and he might not get a qualifying offer at the $2 million he made last season. The possibility exists the Senators could bring him back at a lower price if he's willing to accept a pay cut.
The Senators are studying all their options and doing a lot of listening, but they won't make a trade just for the sake of doing a deal. The club also knows it's dealing with a fan base that's antsy to have success.
“You have no idea how hard Steve, and his team, are working and trying to make it better,” Senators owner Michael Andlauer told this newspaper. “You can't be hasty. I know we're an impatient group. At the end of the day, you have to do it the right way.
“I'm not looking (at it being) about tomorrow, I'm looking (at it being) about sustainability for the long term. Steve knows that.
He needed to surround himself with a team to build a foundation and to be able to help support him and build going forward. That's where we are.”
Andlauer said the NHL calendar is entering a pivotal stretch.
“I'm excited about the next couple of weeks,” Andlauer said. “They're working furiously. I got a call at 11 p.m. (Thursday) night and at 6 a.m., when we're flying (in to Ottawa) today, Steve had a whole bunch of text messages from other GMS saying, `Please give me a call.'
“This is an important time leading into the draft. There's a lot of kicking tires and the team is working really hard. That's all I can tell you.”
Time is of the essence.