The Ottawa Senators announced Sunday that they were shuffling their front office roles, while adding some new voices to the organization as well.
Ottawa, who were previously both without a permanent GM or head coach, elevated Steve Staios to the role of General Manager and President of Hockey Operations. The 50 year old had been acting as interim GM since the club parted ways with Pierre Dorion back on November 1st.
The team also announced that they were appointing former NHL forward Dave Poulin to the role of Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations. Poulin, 65, had previously served as SVP of hockey operations with the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2009-2014 and also served as the team’s GM for their AHL affiliate the Toronto Marlies.
Finally, Ottawa will be moving Ryan Bowness into the role of associate general manager moving forward as well. The son of Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness, Ryan joined the Senators in July of 2022, and has been acting as assistant general manager of the team since.
Staios, who has preached a patient approach to the GM and coaching search to fans, becomes what should be the first domino to fall in establishing some stability and structure in the nation’s capital. The Senators have dealt with yet another tumultuous season both on and off the ice.
Amongst the curveballs thrown to new owner Michael Andlauer were a massive suspension for forward Shane Pinto due to off ice gambling infractions, as well as the forfeiture of a 1st round pick due to NMC stipulations in former forward Evgenii Dadonov’s contract. The latter of which was the final straw for former GM Pierre Dorion in Ottawa.
The club had previously alluded to wanting to get a GM in place first before hiring a new coach. With Staios now assuming that role, the search for a permanent head can now begin in earnest.
In the meantime, former Sens bench boss Jacques Martin has taken on the role of interim-head coach, recording his 1300th NHL game coached last week. The club has gone 3-3 with Martin behind the bench since taking over on December 18th.
Photo: Dynes Sports Photographers.