Oilers lose special advisor Steve Staios to the Ottawa Senators

The Edmonton Oilers and Steve Staios have officially parted ways.

There had been plenty of speculation regarding Staios’ future with the Oilers, as rumours have circulated as of late that he was planning on joining the Ottawa Senators front office. Those rumours appear to have been true, as the Senators announced this morning that they have named the former NHL defenceman as their president of hockey operations.

Earlier this offseason, there was talk that Staios may be the next general manager (GM) of the Oilers. Ken Holland is reportedly not planning on remaining in that role for much longer, and many thought Staios would be the next man up. The 50-year-old spent this past season as a special advisor to the club’s hockey operations staff, and prior to that spent several years as the GM of the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs.

“Steve Staios has resigned his position as a special advisor to the Edmonton Oilers hockey operations to pursue another opportunity,” Oilers CEO of hockey operations Jeff Jackson said in a statement. “We have accepted Steve’s resignation, thank him for his time with the club and wish him the best in his future endeavours.”

Prior to getting into management, Staios enjoyed an impressive 1,001-game NHL career. Though he first had stops with the Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks, and the Atlanta Thrashers, he is thought of by most as an Oiler, whom he played 573 games with. Throughout his lengthy tenure in Edmonton, he was highly regarded for his shut-down defensive style, as well as his fearlessness when it came to sacrificing his body on the penalty kill. He was a part of the Oilers 2005-06 team that fell one game short of winning the Stanley Cup.

The Oilers will now be tasked with finding a new successor for Holland, as this may indeed be his last season in his current role. The good news is that they have plenty of smart individuals working in their hockey operations department, and will certainly do their due diligence when it comes to finding the right fit.

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