Sens Writer: Senators name Staios as GM/President Hockey Ops, Poulin as VP Hockey Ops

Hard to make a positive read on this season's struggles. But, this is an incredibly passionate fan base and we will adapt to what has been a deeply disappointing season so far. Perhaps expectations were too exaggerated because of the change of ownership and the setting up of the new management team.

What are our choices in supporting the new guys? They want to carve out their own new direction. They don't feel responsible for the failings of past years and, probably, only feel limited responsibility for this year.

They essentially have a free hand to make major moves.

But...does anybody really know where we should go from here?

Hard to make a positive read on this season's struggles. But, this is an incredibly passionate fan base and we will adapt to what has been a deeply disappointing season so far. Perhaps expectations were too exaggerated because of the change of ownership and the setting up of the new management team.

What are our choices in supporting the new guys? They want to carve out their own new direction. They don't feel responsible for the failings of past years and, probably, only feel limited responsibility for this year.

They essentially have a free hand to make major moves.

But...does anybody really know where we should go from here?
- spatso

You need a 1st pairing rhd and a goalie who can stop the puck more than one game in a row. Goaltending is the no1 issue, like Buffalo and NJ.

You need a 1st pairing rhd and a goalie who can stop the puck more than one game in a row. Goaltending is the no1 issue, like Buffalo and NJ.
- Flyerloon

Nobody will argue the goaltending paradox. Everybody cringed when Dorion said he was going to sign a free agent goaltender. His track record with goalies has been horrendous.

Not sure about the #1 RHD. Most of the season, so far, Zub has been their most reliable Dman. Not flashy but very consistent. Like JBD most nights. I would like to see a RHD with some size and grit but in the #4 or #6 slot.

You need a 1st pairing rhd and a goalie who can stop the puck more than one game in a row. Goaltending is the no1 issue, like Buffalo and NJ.
- Flyerloon

They could use an upgrade at both positions, but that doesn't explain why of the 8 NHL teams with more regulation L than W right now, OTT is the only one without a double-digit negative goal differential. In fact, OTT has a better goal differential (-1) than 3 different teams that currently hold playoff spots. It also doesn't explain the huge regression from last year in their overall special teams performance, including the PP - especially given that last year they were working with Talbot/Forsberg, and at times even had to rely on AHL goaltending.

GF/GP - 3.2 (15th in 2022/23) vs. 3.4 (9th in 2023/24)
GA/GP - 3.3 (20th in 2022/23) vs. 3.5 (27th in 2023/24)
PP% - 23.6% (8th in 2022/23) vs. 17.6% (23rd in 2023/24)
PK% - 80.1% (14th in 2022/23) vs. 72.1% (32nd in 2023/24)

OTT is a better team than their record would indicate, and if you watch the games it's not just about the G. For every bad goal Korpisalo/Forsberg have given up, they've also saved games several times over. The issue is the quality of the scoring chances being given up, and why they can't at least muster a mediocre PK. The fact that they have the most turnovers/GP in the league is the kind of stat that really highlights their biggest problem, which is players not playing within themselves or in a coordinated system. Martin is already changing this, but it will take time to really take hold.

They could use an upgrade at both positions, but that doesn't explain why of the 8 NHL teams with more regulation L than W right now, OTT is the only one without a double-digit negative goal differential. In fact, OTT has a better goal differential (-1) than 3 different teams that currently hold playoff spots. It also doesn't explain the huge regression from last year in their overall special teams performance, including the PP - especially given that last year they were working with Talbot/Forsberg, and at times even had to rely on AHL goaltending.

GF/GP - 3.2 (15th in 2022/23) vs. 3.4 (9th in 2023/24)
GA/GP - 3.3 (20th in 2022/23) vs. 3.5 (27th in 2023/24)
PP% - 23.6% (8th in 2022/23) vs. 17.6% (23rd in 2023/24)
PK% - 80.1% (14th in 2022/23) vs. 72.1% (32nd in 2023/24)

OTT is a better team than their record would indicate, and if you watch the games it's not just about the G. For every bad goal Korpisalo/Forsberg have given up, they've also saved games several times over. The issue is the quality of the scoring chances being given up, and why they can't at least muster a mediocre PK. The fact that they have the most turnovers/GP in the league is the kind of stat that really highlights their biggest problem, which is players not playing within themselves or in a coordinated system. Martin is already changing this, but it will take time to really take hold.
- khawk

I think you are completely right in your evaluation. The goaltending has been weak. But overall this is a talented group of young players. There are some solid veterans sprinkled into the line up as well.

Sometimes they work so hard and score on a highly skilled play only to follow it up by letting down and allowing a soft goal against.

This team will produce much better results without making substantive changes. But, they need to win the equivalent of something like 10 in a row to get back into the playoff race and that is a dubious challenge.

Against Buffalo, the 3rd and 4th lines were solid. When the 3rd and 4th lines shine the entire dressing room atmosphere improves.

It is so easy to love this team and so discouraging when it flops.

the PK is a simple explanation, they sit back and give up half the zone to the other team hoping they shoot, hoping they dont score and hope they can clear the zone.

Succesfull PKs are aggressive and dont let the other team set up, OTT lets them do w/e they want

the PK is a simple explanation, they sit back and give up half the zone to the other team hoping they shoot, hoping they dont score and hope they can clear the zone.

Succesfull PKs are aggressive and dont let the other team set up, OTT lets them do w/e they want
- Mithos

I think this is right on target!

And, against Buffalo I thought the forwards started coming out a bit more and pressuring the point.

Jacques Martin is 3 and 3. But he has made changes in terms of ice time, player combinations and special team play.

I believe we will wake up one day very soon and be able to say this is a very good team...despite their won/lose record.

vs Vancouver


Wow .... our first period sucked donkey nuggets. 5 goals against. Looks like a good night for Forsberg .......... not. A 0.692 save %. It would be nice to have a goalie with the ability to string more then 1 good game in a row. This is comical.

Vancouver ... 15 shots on goal in period 1 (and 5 goals) ...... and only 7 shots on goal in the next period and a half.

This team just wasn't ready to start the game.

In terms of management, I had expected/hoped for the addition of an assistant GM from other successful organizations such as Tulsky from Carolina or Darche from Tampa Bay. Having Staios as the permanent GM reflects Andlauer/Staios confidence that he can make the changes required. Adding Poulin as VP of hockey operations should prove to be a big positive as they build out hockey operations. I'm expecting some positive roster changes between now and the start of next season.

The coaching staff is having many noticeable impacts already and the team should continue to make solid improvements. There is a lot to fix.

As for key problems, the players are very casual with the puck, make reckless high risk plays/passes and are very often soft on the puck. They need to protect the puck like their paychecks depend on it.

Giveaways, screens, deflections, and a goalie who struggles with following the puck is a recipe for disaster. Martin/Capuano now has this team collapsing on the PK, leaving the point completely open. I don't see that fixing a historically poor PK. Ottawa has the 3rd worst GAA per 60 - only Chicago and San Jose are worse, and that says a lot.

At this point you may as well sell off players and try to get Macklin Celebrini.
No point in finishing 10th, may as well tank. You are toast for this year.
I do think you are not far away from being a good team but not this year.

There are too many things going wrong with this hockey club. I have never seen a team so discombobulated on a regular basis. You start to wonder if this ‘core’ was massively miscalculated.

It’s important to note that ownership, management, and most coaches on the team now did not bring any of the current players into this organization. There is no sense of personal attachment. The GM and Vice-President announcement came at a weird time considering they could have made the move when Dorion was fired or wait until the summer. With the move now done, there might be something big in the works for the roster and they wanted management guys in place. Moving the likes of Tarasenko, Kubalik, Hamonic, etc are not going to do anything to rustle the ship. I am not sure why folks think that is the issue. Sure, you can replace them with marginally better players, but you are not getting those players in a trade, trading them away and there is no one in the system to replace them. You are also a cap team.

There is going to be a big name or two gone from this team by October 2024. I don’t think there are any untouchables at this point. That includes the likes of Brady, Stu, and Sanderson. I don’t think they will get moved but I think it’s naïve to assume they are untouchable. They could fetch you a decent return. However, I think at least one or two of the following will be gone by October 2024: Chabot, Norris, Giroux, Zub, Batherson, or Chychrun. These will not have fantastic returns but can possibly give you some roster and cap flexibility to amend the core. Promising young teams to have traded away good talent in order to take the next step before, so it’s not out of the ordinary.

It unfortunate that the goalie situation was so poorly scouted. When you combine that with the fact that there are several other teams also with poor goaltending with bad contracts, there is no market, and you are essentially stuck with what you have. However, I do believe the buyouts of Ryan and Del Zotto will come off the books this summer, so you could possibly buy out one or two of the goaltenders.

I don’t think the Martin/Alfie coaching change will have a huge impact. I am over the nostalgia for this team. It’s trying to distract fans from the actual issues at hand. Give me something to be proud of now instead of celebrating the good times 10-15 years ago. I do think it’s better to have those new voices than DJ Smith, but this team needs a teacher who will hold players accountable in an appropriate manner.

At this point in time, I am less optimistic about this team going forward than I was at the start of the rebuild 5 or so years ago. There are too many players locked in big contracts to make moves. While 1 or 2 will likely be moved in one way or another, the future of this team really relies on the existing players shifting their mindsets and simply playing better. That is a very hard task when the losing mindset has kicked in.

Was good game because i got to bed early last night after the 1st.

I don’t think there are any untouchables at this point. That includes the likes of Brady, Stu, and Sanderson. I don’t think they will get moved but I think it’s naïve to assume they are untouchable. They could fetch you a decent return. However, I think at least one or two of the following will be gone by October 2024: Chabot, Norris, Giroux, Zub, Batherson, or Chychrun.

Out of tkachuk,stutzle, sanderson. Just as guess wich would you move to reshape the team ?
I would keep giroux..best player on the team. Everyone else, is fair game imo.that is besides the ' core ' 3. As you mentioned it is risky moving any young player. The risk goes both ways.

Moving any of the young high end kids starts the Sens down a phase II rebuild. Not sur fans have a stomach for it.

So I was in attendance for this game, and have 3 major conclusions from having watched things live.

1) This game wasn't the fault of the goaltenders. Only 1 of the 6 goals was "clean" (i.e. not the result of some ridiculous bounce or deflection), and it came on a screened shot that Forsberg never saw. Meanwhile, Korpisalo made multiple high-quality saves, and really didn't deserve the bad bounce he got late in the game.

2) Their defensive zone play is an utter catastrophe. The sheer number of times that they failed to get the puck out of their own zone in the 1st period was unbelievable. Every pass was off-target, deflected, or somehow ineffective, and the Canucks just kept leaning on the fore-check without consequence.

3) Their D-pairings just aren't working. Having four puck-moving LHD has left them playing Brannstrom out of position as a $2M bottom-six winger, and playing Bernard-Docker way over his head. They need all their best D-men in the top-4 and start building some NHL-quality chemistry, instead of constantly moving D-men around and expecting anything but chaos to ensue.

You all have to remember that this is still one of the youngest teams in the NHL. They are all still learning and it will take Martin and Co. 20+ games to break those habits. The players still cheat on the offensive side of the puck. If Brady wants to win so damn badly, then some honest work in the defensive zone is required. Stop cheating to try to get his points. Until all the forwards start to follow the system then our Keystone Cops routine in the defensive zone will continue.
Personally, I don't think big changes are needed.
$5 million comes off the cap when the buyouts/etc. expire. Tarasenko, Kubalik, will be gon (freeing up another 7.5 million). You can demote McEwen for the rest of his contract, Hamonic with 1 year left is a buyout (cost of around $366,000 against the cap), and Forsberg buyout is $900,000-ish on the cap hit. Both Forsberg and Hamonic would only have 1 more year to UFA. Brannstrom can be traded. All in all, around $20 million come off the books. Yes, Sanderson's new contract kicks in and Pinto needs to be signed.

Why is the world would the Sens be stupid enough to trade Tkachuk (age 24), Stutzle (age 21) Norris (24), Sanderson (21), Chychrun (25), Chabot (26), go down the list. Way too much has been expected of this crew, and far to little structural teaching from the previous ownership and coaching crew. While I think Dorion and his crew drafted well, Dorion had no idea how to fill in the bits around them.

As for goaltending, good luck trying to trade for anything resembling a credible star or just an average goaltender. There is a reason we have yet to see teams like New Jersey, Toronto, etc. get the goalie they need. NO ONE IS TRADING ANYTHING at this point, so this wish list of lets just start trading guys away is ludicrous. The base of this team is fine .....
Tkachuk, Stutzle, Norris, Batherson, Giroux, Greig, Pinto, Joseph, Chabot, Chychrun, Sanderson, Zub .... this is a solid core that needs teaching.

Plus we have 2 first round picks in 2024, and a 2nd round pick. And .... what to do with Formentin?

To start looking to muck around in the top group is insane. Build around it with some veteran talent. That magical trade to get what we need does not exist. Nobody is trading anything but their scrap pieces and overpriced veterans. No thanks.

To our mix above we can maybe look to add Sogaard in net, Klevan (big and some tougness on defence). Let JBD continue to grow as the 5th or 6th d-man.

But what this team really needs is an extended time with coaches who will teach and drill in structure. I would rather wait until the end of the season to make a coaching change again. That is when Ottawa can go get their guy .... I still say they want John Gruden from the Marlies but Toronto is going to make us wait until the offseason.
they just need some more veteran support pieces.

So I was in attendance for this game, and have 3 major conclusions from having watched things live.

1) This game wasn't the fault of the goaltenders. Only 1 of the 6 goals was "clean" (i.e. not the result of some ridiculous bounce or deflection), and it came on a screened shot that Forsberg never saw. Meanwhile, Korpisalo made multiple high-quality saves, and really didn't deserve the bad bounce he got late in the game.

2) Their defensive zone play is an utter catastrophe. The sheer number of times that they failed to get the puck out of their own zone in the 1st period was unbelievable. Every pass was off-target, deflected, or somehow ineffective, and the Canucks just kept leaning on the fore-check without consequence.

3) Their D-pairings just aren't working. Having four puck-moving LHD has left them playing Brannstrom out of position as a $2M bottom-six winger, and playing Bernard-Docker way over his head. They need all their best D-men in the top-4 and start building some NHL-quality chemistry, instead of constantly moving D-men around and expecting anything but chaos to ensue.
- khawk

I agree with this line of thinking. The season is lost, but the sky is not falling.

1. The goaltending will put up better numbers when the team defence gets better. Neither of these guys are superstars, but either can give average goaltending.

2. The team defence will improve under Martin. Old habits will be fixed, better ones put in place. This will not happen as quick as we’d like, but the new coach next year will have a clean slate to work with.

3. The lack of RD does seem to be a problem. They’re not going to roll three balanced lines and if one of the big three LD can’t switch over, somebody’s going to have to be moved. Maybe this gets the RD needed, maybe it gets a forward to replace tarasenko and some cap space to sign that RD.

I am not actively advocating trading Stu, Brady, or Sanderson. However, it is naïve to assume that they are untouchable. How many times has this fanbase labeled guys as untouchable just to see them move a year or two later? This is a business, and we are dealing with an entirely new management team who have no attachment to the existing roster. They have inherited a team that is almost in last place right now. Changes are coming. Folks needs to realize that. Don’t get too attached.

Out of Stu, Brady, and Sanderson, if you had to trade one, I am wondering about Stu. He’s a great talent, but this season, there is just something missing. Maybe injury. Maybe attitude. Maybe progression. I really like watching him play but I hate watching him in between whistles. His frustration shows way too much, and it affects his play. He’d by far get you the largest package in a trade. Not saying they should move him, but I wouldn’t label him as untouchable. Essentially, of the big 3, I think I value Brady and Sanderson more than Stu now. To clarify, if I had a ‘who this team should trade away’ depth chart, these 3 guys would be at the bottom.

Should this team trade everybody? Of course not. Change is needed though; I don’t see how getting rid of bottom 6 forwards and depth d-men are going to improve this team when you have big contracts at the top of the lineup already. Your hand is kind of forced to shuffle a player or two. Otherwise, you’re replacing those bottom lineup guys with other underwhelming guys.

I’d like to see Chabot and Norris moved asap. Chabot is redundant to the roster, takes significant cap space, and is at the point in his career where we know what he is. Norris will be redundant to this roster come the 2024/2025 season and his contract is too large. Grieg seems like a better overall centre and Pinto should be back. Norris’s injury and consistency concerns are not something I want for 6, 7, or 8 more years. I think there will be a market for Chabot, but it will be harder to move Norris. You might have to take some contracts back but moving these guys out would certainly rustle the room.

As a wild speculation of the core, after much deliberation. I too would agree with Stutzle, as a target of trade.
1) He would return the most assets
2) there is something about his attitude, i don't think is enhancing team chemistry...allbeit i have no clue besides what i see on tv or read.
3) potential to regress to a mediocre player
Reasons to keep stutzle:
1) age
2) contract length
3) potential to get better

Yes i do believe he can become better or worse as a player. I am not convinced of who he is in the nhl yet

Management of our RD has been a big issue for years. I recall when Dylan Demelo was showing great chemistry with Chabot, and we traded him away for a third. Zub was an afterthought - undrafted FA from the KHL, a roll of the dice that happened to work out. We drafted two first round RD back to back in JBD/LT, and neither has panned out. JBD has been a statistical disaster on the backend, as has Harmonic - our only real dependable RD is Zub. RD is clearly a weakness, as is defensive stability and positioning, but there's an issue when every one of your blue line puck movers play the left side: it's easy for opposing teams to anticipate where the puck is going, and therefore how to shut them down.

This team needs to trade one (or two) puck moving LD to get a true responsibly defensive RD (I say keep an eye on Demelo in FA), AND a puck moving RD to play with a Kleven-type to provide variety on the breakout. For the latter, I wouldn't count Guénette out - he is looking legit in Belleville

Management of our RD has been a big issue for years. I recall when Dylan Demelo was showing great chemistry with Chabot, and we traded him away for a third. Zub was an afterthought - undrafted FA from the KHL, a roll of the dice that happened to work out. We drafted two first round RD back to back in JBD/LT, and neither has panned out. JBD has been a statistical disaster on the backend, as has Harmonic - our only real dependable RD is Zub. RD is clearly a weakness, as is defensive stability and positioning, but there's an issue when every one of your blue line puck movers play the left side: it's easy for opposing teams to anticipate where the puck is going, and therefore how to shut them down.

This team needs to trade one (or two) puck moving LD to get a true responsibly defensive RD (I say keep an eye on Demelo in FA), AND a puck moving RD to play with a Kleven-type to provide variety on the breakout. For the latter, I wouldn't count Guénette out - he is looking legit in Belleville
- Bartacus

Although I agree with most of what you said, how is JBD a statistical disaster? it's his first year, he is a + player learning to step up at the blue line to stop entries, decent size, blocks shots, only 23, he will get better, it's just he should have been doing all this learning and adapting 2 years ago. LT has been wasted, he should have been up here for an extended look aswell, but Dorion was doing everything he could to save his own a$$. A lot of our prospects were 'over baked' in the words of Mann, but Dorion just kept playing crappy vets instead. I like Demelo, but I would rather JBD at this point. Get Kleven up here and watch him throw some people around in front of the net instead of Branny, who should have been moved to a 3rd line forward role 2 years ago aswell.

I am not actively advocating trading Stu, Brady, or Sanderson. However, it is naïve to assume that they are untouchable. How many times has this fanbase labeled guys as untouchable just to see them move a year or two later? This is a business, and we are dealing with an entirely new management team who have no attachment to the existing roster. They have inherited a team that is almost in last place right now. Changes are coming. Folks needs to realize that. Don’t get too attached.

Out of Stu, Brady, and Sanderson, if you had to trade one, I am wondering about Stu. He’s a great talent, but this season, there is just something missing. Maybe injury. Maybe attitude. Maybe progression. I really like watching him play but I hate watching him in between whistles. His frustration shows way too much, and it affects his play. He’d by far get you the largest package in a trade. Not saying they should move him, but I wouldn’t label him as untouchable. Essentially, of the big 3, I think I value Brady and Sanderson more than Stu now. To clarify, if I had a ‘who this team should trade away’ depth chart, these 3 guys would be at the bottom.

Should this team trade everybody? Of course not. Change is needed though; I don’t see how getting rid of bottom 6 forwards and depth d-men are going to improve this team when you have big contracts at the top of the lineup already. Your hand is kind of forced to shuffle a player or two. Otherwise, you’re replacing those bottom lineup guys with other underwhelming guys.

I’d like to see Chabot and Norris moved asap. Chabot is redundant to the roster, takes significant cap space, and is at the point in his career where we know what he is. Norris will be redundant to this roster come the 2024/2025 season and his contract is too large. Grieg seems like a better overall centre and Pinto should be back. Norris’s injury and consistency concerns are not something I want for 6, 7, or 8 more years. I think there will be a market for Chabot, but it will be harder to move Norris. You might have to take some contracts back but moving these guys out would certainly rustle the room.
- Gord_Wilson_2.0

Interesting take on the Sens, you obviously know your team.
From an outsider's perspective it seems odd Stutzle only has 7 goals so far when he got close to 40 last year. Don't know if it's shooting percentage drop, not enough shots or shooting from the wrong spots but a guy with his talent and ice time should have more than 7 goals.
Tkachuk is the tope of player anyone in the league would want for a playoff run. If/when you get there I believe he will be dominant.
So of the 2 of them I think Stutzle is the guy to move before his value drops too much. Clearly something has to change in Ottawa, the team is severely underperforming the talent level.

Interesting take on the Sens, you obviously know your team.
From an outsider's perspective it seems odd Stutzle only has 7 goals so far when he got close to 40 last year. Don't know if it's shooting percentage drop, not enough shots or shooting from the wrong spots but a guy with his talent and ice time should have more than 7 goals.
Tkachuk is the tope of player anyone in the league would want for a playoff run. If/when you get there I believe he will be dominant.
So of the 2 of them I think Stutzle is the guy to move before his value drops too much. Clearly something has to change in Ottawa, the team is severely underperforming the talent level.
- Rang

There is something off with Stu. I think there might be an injury. He is opting to pass more and more unless he has an inside chance opportunity. He has a great shot. It sort of reminds me of Bobby Ryan when his hand was done. He couldn’t shoot and tried to create offense in every other way possible.

Stu also has an attitude issue as well. I’ve never seen a player get so frustrated and down on himself when a play is unsuccessful. Considering he is playing a sport where you are probably only successful in 10% or so (for a star player) of the plays that you make, it seems strange. There was even a moment in the Canucks game where he just seemed disinterested in listening to the coaching staff’s advice.

I don’t think he’s a lost cause and is by far the most skilled player on this team but when you speak of ‘core’ guys, he might come in 3rd behind Brady and Sanderson right now. But let’s also learn from the past. Jacques Martin didn’t exactly let Yashin and Spezza do everything and anything they wanted to on the ice at the start of their careers. There were severe learning curves for those two. I feel Stu will have a similar road.