Oilers' Steve Staios to land GM position with another team: report
The Edmonton Oilers’ future general manager may no longer be.
According to SDPN’s Steve Dangle, the Ottawa Senators are set to announce the hiring of Steve Staios in what will likely be the GM role.
Not a huge surprise but I’m hearing Steve Staios to the Sens for a role, likely as GM. Andlauer once hired Staios away from the Leafs to join the Hamilton Bulldogs.
— Steve “Dangle” Glynn (@Steve_Dangle) June 13, 2023
Staios, who enjoyed a 1001-game NHL career, quickly impressed the Oilers front office brass after joining the organization last offseason. Many believed he was in line to be their next GM, with Ken Holland possibly transitioning into the president of hockey operations role.
Before joining the Oilers, Staios served as president and GM of the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs for six seasons, helping lead them to a league championship in 2022. The 49-year-old has also worked in various player development roles with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
While this news has yet to be confirmed, it would mean that Pierre Dorion is out as the Sens’ GM. The 50-year-old has been in his current role with the organization since 2016 but has been rumoured to be on the outs with the team going through a change in ownership.
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If Staios does take over as the Sens’ GM, he will be in a great position to succeed. Despite questions surrounding the future of Alex DeBrincat, he will inherit a roster with plenty of youthful talent under long-term contracts in Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson, Josh Norris, and Thomas Chabot. Recently acquired defenceman Jakob Chychrun is also on the books for two more seasons with a cap hit of just $4.6 million.
The one major question is goaltending, as the Senators only have one netminder under contract in Anton Forsberg for the 2023-24 season. Staios would need to immediately sort that out while also bringing in some more bodies to help fill out the back end.
If the 2023-24 season does end up being Holland’s final as a GM, the Oilers will now be forced to look elsewhere for his replacement. Another internal option that may be of interest is Holland’s son, Brad, who currently serves as an assistant GM to his father.