Sens GM Staios: 'I have belief there is huge internal growth'
Published
With training camp quickly approaching, Ottawa Senators president of hockey operations and general manager Steve Staios spoke to the media on Wednesday, covering a wide range of topics from a busy off-season.
The Senators have missed the playoffs in each of the past seven seasons and have reached 80 or more points just once during that stretch.
Despite the struggles, the Sens were expected to turn a corner and compete for a playoff spot in 2023-24. However, a slow start led to another disappointing campaign with just 78 points and a 37-41-4 record.
Long-time general manager Pierre Dorion was fired and replaced by Staios in early November. Six weeks later head coach D.J. Smith was let go and replaced by Jacques Martin for the rest of the season on an interim basis. Travis Green was hired as Ottawa's 14th head coach in May.
Staios made some additions to the roster over the summer, signing veteran wingers David Perron and Michael Amadio on July 1 after acquiring goalie Linus Ullmark from the Boston Bruins in June.
During his media availability, Staios said that he believes in their core group of players and wanted "to surround them with players with experience and players who have won.”
“My expectation is we will be a hugely competitive team day in, day out. I have belief there is huge internal growth,” Staios remarked.
Ottawa begins their preseason schedule on Sept. 22 against the Toronto Maple Leafs with the regular season kicking off on Oct. 10 against the visiting Florida Panthers.
Linus Ullmark Extension
New goalie Linus Ullmark is entering the final season of a four-year, $20 million contract and will be free agent at the end of the season.
Staios said he wants Ullmark to feel comfortable in the nation's capital before getting into serious discussions regarding an extension
The Sens acquired Ullmark from the Bruins on June 24 in exchange for goalie Joonas Korpisalo, centre Mark Kastelic and a 2024 first-round pick.
The 31-year-old Ullmark will be the No. 1 goalie for Ottawa entering the 2024-25 campaign as he was one of the better netminders in the NHL last season when he shared the Bruins net with Jeremy Swayman.
When asked about expectations for this season, Ullmark said “high.”
“Doesn’t matter what team, you have high expectations of your team…we all play to win, winning is fun. The first step is to create a culture and try to get back in the playoffs,” Ullmark told the media on Wednesday.
Ullmark said he first impression of Ottawa was that it was quiet.
“I’m used to hearing sirens….it’s nice to have that peace and quiet when you go to bed,” he said.
The Senators allowed 3.43 goals per game (281 in total) last season with Korpisalo, Anton Forsberg and Mads Sogaard controlling the net, which ranked them fifth worst in the NHL.
Ullmark, meanwhile, posted a 22-10-7 record with a 2.55 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage over 40 games with Boston.
The Swede has a career 2.51 GAA in 247 career appearances with the Buffalo Sabres and Bruins.
Josh Norris Update
For the second consecutive season, forward Josh Norris missed considerable time in 2023-24 due to a shoulder injury.
Norris scored 16 goals and 14 assists over 50 games last season, but underwent a third surgery on his left shoulder after injuring himself on Feb. 27.
Staios is hopeful Norris is able to return for the start of the season but says it's "not fair to put a timeline on Josh."
“Happy to say he’s ahead of where he was last year at this point in time," said Staios. "It’s not fair to put a timeline on Josh. He’s done everything in his power to get himself prepared for the season. It’s all moving in a positive direction.”
The American centre played just eight contests in 2022-23 after dealing with injuries to the same shoulder.
Norris, who was selected by the San Jose Sharks 19th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft before being traded to Ottawa as part of the Erik Karlsson blockbuster. He has scored 70 goals and 53 assists over 183 career games with the Senators.
Possible PTOs
Staios said the team is looking into bringing in some veteran on professional tryout for training camp.
The Senators signed forward Nick Cousins on a one-year, $800,000 contract last week.
Cousins, 30, recorded seven goals and 15 points in 69 games with the Stanley Cup-winning Florida Panthers last season.