Earlier this morning, the Ottawa Senators announced a slew of personnel changes to their front office. This is headlined by the assumption of Steve Staios as the full-time general manager of the club.
News Release: Steve Staios has been appointed #Sens General Manager and President of Hockey Operations; Dave Poulin joins the team as Senior Vice-President, Hockey Operations; Ryan Bowness has been appointed the team’s Associate General Manager: https://t.co/ewBbHUNTf3 pic.twitter.com/Xaksy0RnBO
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) December 31, 2023
Staios, 50, was a veteran defenceman of just over 1.000 NHL games across 17 seasons between six clubs. Before joining Ottawa as the President of Hockey Operations, Staios had worked previously in an executive position with the Edmonton Oilers. In November, Staios took hold of the Senators as interim general manager after the resignation of Pierre Dorion. This was following the assessment of financial penalties to Ottawa due to their mismanagement of a trade involving Evgenii Dadonov.
Among this appointment includes the addition of Ryan Bowness as associate general manager and Dave Poulin as Senior Vice President.
Senators Announce Front Office Changes
New Members
Steve Staios
With this appointment, the Senators re-establish the team-building stability the club has struggled to consistently grasp in recent years. There have been a number of internal controversies with the team. Such stability will be particularly important for a team likely to confront several issues. Some of this includes the trade deadline direction and search for a long-term head coach. The latter if Jacques Martin remains unlikely to obtain the role).
Ryan Bowness
Bowness’ new role is a direct promotion from his previous standing role as assistant general manager in 2022. Aside from his time in Ottawa, Bowness garnered plentiful experience with the Winnipeg Jets and the Pittsburgh Penguins between 2009 to 2022. He served primarily in roles related to pro scouting.
Dave Poulin
While the long-time head coach of the University of Notre Dame some years after concluding a 724-game NHL career, Poulin has not worked within the front office of any team since 2014. His last stint was with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He has since involved himself in hockey media with TSN and the Toronto Star. Interestingly, Poulin is the second former TSN analyst to be hired in this capacity for the Senators in recent seasons; Pierre McGuire was the last in 2021.
Outlook
While such moves will not have immediate impacts on the Senators’ on-ice play, the long-term outlook for the club in the context of their underperforming roster now has the surrounding personnel necessary to direct it in a fashion fruitful for the team.
Main photo by: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
