Latest news with #SteveStaios
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ottawa Senators Sign Lars Eller, Offseason NHL Additions Are Now 'Most Likely' Complete
Senators general manager Steve Staios didn't do a lot on day one of free agency, but there was something familiar about his performance. For the second year in a row, Staios went out and acquired a free agent veteran role player, who's won a Stanley Cup.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Expectations For The Ottawa Senators' Mount Rushmore Of Old Guys
Some things improve with age – like fine wine, artisanal cheese, or leather-bound books that smell of rich mahogany. Ottawa Senators GM Steve Staios is betting that the same holds true for his club. On the one hand, the aging and maturing of his team's youthful core and the experience from their playoff debut will be vital to improvement. But even more literally than that, since the start of last summer, Staios hopes his roster improves with the age and experience that he's pumped into it. Advertisement 'That's the plan,' he told in December, 'to surround them with some veteran guys that have been there and done that before and are going to continue to be a good influence and also good players on the ice obviously. I talked to this group about internal growth and with Travis' help as coach, holding the players accountable and coaching them properly, there has been a great deal of internal growth.' Not so long ago, in 2012, Staios himself was the older guy in the New York Islanders locker room. At 38, he was older than any current Sens player, and he mentored younger Isles teammates like Travis Hamonic. But he's not seeking age for its own sake: Hamonic, now an older veteran and an unrestricted free agent, was not re‑signed when his deal expired 11 days ago, a sign that Staios wants more from his veterans than just gray hair and wisdom in the room. Four of his vets will be older than 35 this fall. Here's a look at the veterans Staios has brought on, how they got here, and what we expect from them this season. Players, (Age on opening night this fall): Advertisement Claude Giroux, 37 2024‑25 Stats: 81 GP, 15 G, 35 A, 50 Pts, –8, 138 SOG Giroux signed on to come home three years ago, and after a long negotiation this summer, gave the Senators one of the great hometown discounts in club history. Giroux decided to forego free agency and sign a one-year deal worth $2 million plus bonuses. Why He Can Shine Next Season: At 37, Giroux isn't the fastest player, never was, but he still delivers top-tier vision, faceoff dominance (61.5%), and steady scoring. He overhears the discussion about his age and the drop in his speed and stats. Between that and the Sens' below-market offer, he'll have something to prove. With a 72-point career average, he'll be highly motivated to bounce back this season. But it will depend on opportunity, linemates and what Travis Green has up his sleeve. If he's not in the top six, count on 40 points. If he is, and gets reasonable looks on the power play, 60 is a reasonable projection. Advertisement David Perron, 37 2024‑25 Stats: 43 GP, 9 G, 7 A, 16 Pts, –7, 71 SOG Perron signed as a free agent last summer, agreeing to a two-year deal worth $4 million a season. Why He Can Shine Next Season: Perron remains a smart, competitive, creative player who's not afraid to pay the price of abuse to get to the net or win pucks along the boards. The Sens need more of that, not less. His friendly veteran presence complements the younger forwards beautifully. Like Giroux, he's not the fastest guy, but he also enters a new season feeling inspired. Perron missed half of last season through injury and family issues, and he'd like to show Ottawa that he's well worth the money. Also like Giroux, projecting what Perron will do next season will depend on his usage. The way that Green mixes up his lines, we're betting he runs a time share in the top six. But in a full season, a bounce back to north of 40 points isn't an unreasonable prediction. Advertisement Lars Eller, 36 2024‑25 Stats: 80 GP, 10 G, 12A, 22 Pts, -1, 104 SOG Eller signed on day one of free agency this month, getting a one-year deal worth $1.25 million. He's the new kid in town, but he's old. Why He Can Shine Next Season: Eller offers two-way stability, strong faceoffs, and versatility. He's likely to be a fourth liner next season, but can move up the lineup if needed, just the way his predecessor, Adam Gaudette, did last season. But Eller is bigger and a better skater than Gaudette. Eller spend most of last season in Washington, where he got just over 12 minutes of ice time per night and put up 15 points in 63 games. That's about the pace and ice time he can expect now in Ottawa, so 22 points and more of the same is a fair outlook. Advertisement Nick Jensen, 35 2024-25 Stats: 71 GP, 3 G, 18 A, 21 Pts, +18, 77 SOG Jensen was acquired last summer, along with a third-round pick, for pending UFA Jakob Chychrun. Why He Can Shine Next Season: There are reasons why Jensen might not shine next season, and they're strictly medical. Jensen underwent hip surgery after the season, so his 2025-26 outlook entirely depends on a return to full health and his usual speed and mobility. But if he gets to that place, he may be able to build on a quality first year as a Senator. He played through the last 30 games and the playoffs while dealing with pain, and that will take any player down a few notches. With fingers crossed, we think Jensen will get back go his usual 20 minutes, become an even better insulator for the roving Thomas Chabot, and scoring at the same pace as last season (21 points in 71 games) whenever it is he gets back. Advertisement So there's the Senators' grey-bearded Mount Rushmore of older dudes, the distinguished gentlemen of the game, brought in to complement the children of the rebuild. The four vets also have the added motivation of playing for their next contracts. All four will be UFAs again next summer. Age before beauty? In this case, it could be both, because Staios is banking on these vets to be beauties this fall, steady in the room, and shining when it matters most. By Steve Warne Sens Nation Hockey Image credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images More Sens Headlines: Key Takeaways From Senators Development Camp Five Former Senator First-Rounders All Found New NHL Homes Is Yakemchuk In The Sens' NHL Plans For This Fall? Steve Staios' Top Five Trades (So Far) As Senators GM Dissecting The Senators' Intriguing Right-Shot Defensive Depth Chart Claude Giroux Reveals Why He Signed Back In Ottawa Sens Nation Podcast: Sens Sign Eller and Kaliyev; Have They Sens Added Enough?
New York Times
09-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Senators depth chart 2.0: Projecting the lineup after subtle offseason tweaks
Once we pass the first few days of July, it usually means offseason moves and activity should be at a minimum. But this summer some people, like NHL agent Allan Walsh, seem to think otherwise. There is approximately $275 Million of available cap space remaining within the system for next year. The most common comment from NHL teams right now – 'we have the cap dollars but no players to spend them on.' Watch for the trade market to heat up next week. — Allan Walsh🏒 (@walsha) July 5, 2025 At this stage, it remains to be seen whether the Senators will wade into those trade waters, even if that likely remains the best path if they want to improve scoring. The team already traded to acquire defensive depth in Jordan Spence during the weekend of the NHL Draft, but Senators general manager Steve Staios says he's not likely to make many more moves this offseason. Advertisement Of course, that doesn't mean Staios will throw his phone in the Ottawa River and say no to trade possibilities as they happen. Staios even told reporters that the Spence addition wasn't on his radar until closer to the draft. But until something else unexpected pops up, this new depth chart will have to do as we settle further into summer mode at The Athletic. First AHL call-ups: F Stephen Halliday, F Hayden Hodgson, F Zack MacEwen, F Olle Lycksell Zetterlund and Giroux's spots will be of keen interest entering camp. Is Zetterlund better served on the right side with Stützle? Or does he play to the left of Cozens, where he got time in the playoffs? In any case, with Zetterlund signed and the Senators hopeful in his offensive game, he is not a player the Senators will try to ease in on the fourth line. Giroux's versatility will serve him well on any line he's placed on. But for now, we've slotted him as a third-liner with Greig and his pupil, Pinto, allowing him to still play on the right side and somewhat shelter his minutes as he enters his age-38 season. Michael Amadio is penciled in on the team's fourth line, but could also return to the third and re-establish chemistry with Pinto and Greig. For those who feel Perron should be further down the lineup (as we had it in our last depth chart), there's some logic behind why he sticks on the second line with Cozens and Batherson for now. As long as Cousins remains healthy, he'll likely occupy the team's fourth-line left-wing spot. If Perron is healthy and plays anything like what he did in March and the playoffs, there are worse places for him to be than second-line left wing to start the year. But Ottawa could still use another scoring option up front. Ottawa filled its fourth-line centre vacancy with veteran and 2018 Stanley Cup champion Lars Eller, who has shown his value as a secondary contributor and penalty killer. Eller is also a career 50.3 percent faceoff man — he had a 52.2 percent win rate last season, split between Pittsburgh and Washington. If the Senators make the playoffs again in 2025-26, Eller's veteran presence will be another one to lean on in their dressing room. Advertisement If Ottawa needs size in its call-ups, they needn't look further than MacEwen and Hodgson, who both saw time in the NHL last year. Halliday showed promise in the AHL last season — if he makes a jump in his play, does he give himself a fighting chance to be Ottawa's 13th forward? Senators fans who'd like any bit of hope from their prospect pipeline would certainly enjoy seeing it. First AHL call-ups: LHD Donovan Sebrango, RHD Lassi Thomson, RHD Carter Yakemchuk We've kept the defensive pairings the same from version 1.0. We'll keep the same caveat, too: Let's all be pleasantly surprised together if (or when) the Senators put Spence on a top pairing with Sanderson and let everyone else slide down on the right-hand side. Spence had success analytically with the Kings last season in sheltered minutes. But he wants a bigger role, which facilitated his move out of Los Angeles. His placement on the Senators' depth chart will become an early storyline once training camp begins in September. For those curious about Spence on a top pairing with Sanderson, what do you think of these? Sanderson-Spence Chabot-Zub Kleven-Jensen Matinpalo The Senators are 'cautiously optimistic' that Jensen could be ready for training camp. But having him play third-pairing minutes with the younger Kleven could be an interesting way to ease him back into the lineup, while Chabot and Zub could play on a second pair. Ottawa will have some depth options with some intrigue entering a new season. Sebrango made a cameo appearance in the NHL this past year, so he could be a candidate for fill-in minutes if a chance comes. But Thomson, the Senators' first-round pick from 2019 who played well in Sweden last year, is back after posting good offensive totals with the Malmö Redhawks last year. I'm not completely sure about his chances for the team's seventh defenceman spot with Matinpalo already in it as a right-shot. Advertisement Of course, there's Yakemchuk. The youngster is likely destined for the American League for his first taste of professional hockey, which isn't a bad thing. His offensive talent will give him a chance in camp. But the Senators want to see improvement in his defensive game. The AHL will give him quality time to show and prove that he's made those gains. No need for Ottawa to rush him, unless he undeniably makes the front office think twice about sending him down to the minors. First AHL call-ups: G Mads Sogaard Ullmark will enter his first year of a four-year, $33 million contract that carries a no-move clause and should keep him in Senators colours through 2029, leaving little doubt who will start in goal come Game 1 of the regular season. The newly extended Merilainen, who played admirably in 12 appearances last season to keep the Senators' ship afloat, is the No. 2 behind Ullmark after Anton Forsberg signed with the Kings in free agency. The Senators now have Hunter Shepard for veteran stability in the AHL and Jackson Parsons as another rookie goalie on their depth chart. But if Ullmark or Merilainen go down, Sogaard — to whom Staios gave a public vote of confidence last month — is likely the next man up. (Top photo of Kleven, left, and Eller: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ottawa Senators Provide Behind The Scenes Look At Draft Day Deals
The Ottawa Senators' decision to trade down during the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft was, as everyone likes to say now, a nice piece of business. GM Steve Staios traded the Senators' 21st overall pick to the Nashville Predators' for Nashville's 23rd and 67th picks. Basically, he got an early third-round draft pick for almost nothing. The only cost was waiting two more picks to get the player he was going to take anyway. Then, Staios flipped that third-round pick he got for almost nothing, along with a sixth-rounder, for Los Angeles Kings defenseman Jordan Spence. Advertisement With the pressure of the clock ticking down and top players quickly disappearing off the board, it's amazing that deals can get done at all. It would be intriguing to see all the inner workings and how a deal comes together in those circumstances. The Senators announced on Monday that they'll be providing a behind-the-scenes look at the draft trade discussions that were going down in their NHL Draft Day war room 10 days ago in the premiere of season six of Breakaway. In the trailer they posted to social media today, you can hear a portion of the actual trade call between Staios and Nashville GM Barry Trotz, at least Staios' end of it. Dissecting The Senators' Intriguing New Right-Shot Defensive Depth Chart Five Former Sens First-Rounders All Found New NHL Homes This Week Claude Giroux Reveals Why He Signed Back In Ottawa Advertisement Presumably, there will be a lot more of that. This year's draft was a unique one, sort of a throwback to COVID when big social gatherings were frowned upon. In what appeared to be a league-wide cost-cutting attempt, all teams drafted remotely from home. The Senators hockey operations team set up shop in the team dressing room, surrounded by the jerseys of many of their past first-round draft picks and made their selections remotely. If you enjoyed the movie Draft Day with Kevin Costner, where much of the film takes place in the draft day war room of the Cleveland Browns, as Costner grinds out trades over the phone with rival GMs, you'll probably get a kick out of this episode. Mind you, no one in Ottawa gave up three years' worth of first-round draft picks like Costner did in the movie, which was a worse decision than plowing under his corn field. It will be interesting to see how far inside the episode takes us, or whether they include the botched video conference call between the Sens brass and first-rounder Logan Hensler. When the audio didn't work and Sportsnet pulled the plug, owner Michael Andlauer looked disappointed on the video stream and probably had some things to say afterward. Advertisement The episode airs on Wednesday on the Sens YouTube channel. By Steve Warne The Hockey News/Ottawa Image Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images More Sens Headlines Senators Bid Farewell To Six UFAs: Where Did They End Up? Senators Sign Lars Eller, Offseason NHL Additions Are Now 'Most Likely' Complete Senators Clarify Their Goaltending Picture for Next Season Senators Acquire Defenseman Jordan Spence From Los Angeles
CTV News
02-07-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Kitchener Rangers goalie signs three-year contract with Ottawa Senators
Jackson Parsons has made history with the Kitchener Rangers. CTV's Heather Senoran explains. One of the Kitchener Rangers' standout stars is heading to Ottawa. On Monday morning, the Rangers announced Jackson Parsons had been named to the Ottawa Senators development camp roster which is scheduled to run until July 4. Just a few hours later, the Senators posted a picture of Parsons shaking hands with Steve Staios, the team's president of hockey operations and general manager, and announced Parsons had been signed to a three-year entry-level contract. Parsons is originally from Embrun, Ont. Last month, he was named as the Canadian Hockey League's goaltender of the year.
