One On One: General Manager Steve Staios' Additions Help To Reset The Ottawa Senators

Ottawa Senators general manager Steve Staios deserves credit for the players he has brought in over the last calendar year.

With the exception of Fabian Zetterlund, who finally got his first point with the Senators and has been playing better of late on the team's first line, the majority of Staios' additions are contributing and playing their best hockey right now.

Since the start of March, the Senators have been bolstered by the contributions of David Perron, Michael Amadio and Nick Jensen.

At times, Jensen has been forced to rest and receive treatment for an undisclosed injury, but the relative difference between Travis Hamonic's presence on the second pairing and Jensen's is unmistakable. Replacing the league's least valuable defenceman, according to Evolving-Hockey's 'wins above replacement' (WAR) value, with a competent defender in Jensen represents a sizable upgrade.

Injuries and a family health issue impacted Perron's availability through the season's first few months. There was no production to speak of. Although the underlying numbers were strong and his line with Shane Pinto and Michael Amadio generated opportunities, few were winding up in the back of the net.

Since February 1, 2025, fans have been watching the version of Perron they were hoping for when the team gave him a two-year deal carrying an average annual value of $4.0 million.

Perron's season:

Michael Amadio's production has markedly improved, as well. Since the start of February, only Brady Tkachuk has scored more goals (10) than Amadio's nine.

Ahead of the Senators' Tuesday night tilt in Buffalo, general manager Staios spoke about his success finding these fits.

"You've got to make big decisions in this business," Staios explained. "You do all the background work to try and make sure that there is a fit. But, I talked a lot about it at the end of last year, where I felt there was a great deal of opportunity for internal growth.

"Growth with the group, not only the skill set of our players in that age group, but also the character and the willingness. You can see them taking a step this year, and it was my job to be able to balance the lineup for them with Perron, Amadio and Jensen and the veteran presence they bring in."

Since taking the general manager's title, he inherited a core group that his predecessor, Pierre Dorion, drafted. During his time, he realized that he needed to dedicate himself to creating that lineup balance to assess this core's individual value accurately.

"For me, I didn't feel like the question was asked a lot on the core group, 'What do you think of you think of the core group?'", Staios explained. "I don't think there was really an opportunity to properly evaluate them until we balanced the roster. So, we put a lot of time into trying to look for the right fits. And, credit to the players for taking that step."

Once Staios had a large enough sample size this season, he identified an area that needed an upgrade.

At the time of the trade deadline, Josh Norris had secured his first 20-plus goal season since his big 2021-22 campaign, in which he scored 35 goals. Despite Norris' 28-goal pace, his beloved status within that dressing room, and his relationships with the rest of the team's young core, Staios dealt the centre in a blockbuster that landed the Senators Dylan Cozens.

For an organization that had struggled to finish at five-on-five, trading one of their more efficient shooters while risking a disruption to the dressing room represented a significant risk.

Under the hood, the real issue with Norris is that despite his finishing skill, work ethic and physical tools, his isolated impacts on the offensive and defensive side of the puck just were not there. He was not an efficient puck carrier or distributor who could tilt the ice in the Senators' favour. Despite his faceoff prowess, he profiled more like a goal-scoring winger who could use his speed and physicality to get in on the forecheck.

HockeyViz's data helps illustrate that point.

Norris' success at five-on-five this season occurred when he played alongside Brady Tkachuk. Thanks to Travis Green's penchant for loading up the first line with the captain and Tim Stützle, those opportunities did not occur very often.

Perhaps if the Senators had an exceptional play-driving winger like Nik Ehlers or Seth Jarvis, the Senators would have been able to get more out of Norris, but by moving him at a time when he was healthy and scoring goals, the Senators sold high while simultaneously adding a player in Cozens who checked off a lot of boxes.

"Both are great players," Staios described. "Josh is a very good player. Dylan is a very good player as well, with some different elements. He balances our profile through the middle of the ice with Tim (Stützle) and Shane (Pinto).

"We've seen some of the qualities that Dylan brings to our group, and I'm really excited for the growth of the player as well, because I believe the ceiling is high."

Adding a 6'3", 207lb centre who adds a physical dynamic and has no trouble getting inside the dirty areas of the offensive zone was significant, but Cozens' ability to efficiently transition the puck through the neutral zone and distribute to his linemates is an element that Norris did not consistently bring.

It is not a coincidence that Drake Batherson's game and production have rejuvenated since the trade deadline. The winger has contributed four goals and eight points in the Senators' nine games since. Having a skillset that could bring more out of Batherson was another reason the Senators targeted Cozens.

"Yeah, that was certainly part of it," stated Staios. "Well, there are lots of parts to it. But speaking to Drake, specifically, where he's taken a step, he's got a foundational game.

"So, sometimes when it's not going work for him offensively, you can see the work ethic and the wall battles. His pursuit on the puck has been strong, and that's taken a step."

Staios quickly credited the coaching staff for Batherson and the core's development.

"The coaching staff had a great influence on this group. Travis harps on these guys to play a certain way. And, when you ask them, they're a coachable group; they want to be coached."

Heading into the trade deadline, it was easy to assume that the Senators' front office would look to address the fringes of the roster. Despite the organization being eight years removed from its last playoff appearance, it felt like it lacked the requisite prospect capital, draft picks and cap space to make a significant change.

Staios proved me wrong.

"The deadline is one opportunity to try and reshape your roster, approve your roster, or look for certain components (to add) to the roster," said the general manager. "That's one opportunity, and you're right. It looked like it would be (making) a depth addition to the group until I started digging in on these conversations and tried to get creative and move some things around."

If Staios was frustrated by the lack of flexibility concerning resources and cap space, he would not let it show.

"The trade deadline was a unique one because we did feel like over a year, I was able to loosen some things up so we could have the call-up options. Having more depth to our roster from when I first got here, and (we) freed up a little bit of cap space.

"It takes time to get there, but this deadline was unique because we were looking at just adding some depth. And, throughout the conversations, I started looking at some things we could do and where it could lead us."

The magnitude of a Norris trade always felt like it would be safer to make in the offseason, but Staios saw the opportunity to unmistakably improve his team as being too good to pass up.

"I viewed (the decision to make the trade at the deadline) like this: this group has made a commitment. They, as individuals, have taken a step, and as a team, have taken a step. That's what motivates a general manager. That is what motivated me to try and do everything I could to do something for them.

"The credit goes to the players, who are the ones who have taken the step and have shown commitment. No team is perfect, and these players are still learning in certain situations, but (the deadline) was my opportunity to try and give something back to the group."

Given the circumstances, it is a credit to the front office that it could reshape the roster without depleting the organization's prospect pool and draft picks.

"We were able to execute a couple of trades that make our team better now and then. Also, there's growth potential with the two players we brought in."

The added benefit of bringing in Fabian Zetterlund and Dylan Cozens at the deadline is that they are both young players who offer talent and controllable term. The 24-year-old Cozens has five years left on a deal that carries through the 2029-30 season, while Zetterlund is a 25-year-old impending restricted free agent.

Staios acknowledged that benefit but emphasized the front office's due diligence and willingness to add pieces irrespective of age.

"If there were someone a little more veteran who could bring some of the qualities we were looking for, we would have done that as well," Staios admitted. "I would have looked at. I was looking at everything."

This due diligence and process are encouraging signs for Senators fans. After years of impulsive and risky short-term moves blew up in the organization's face, it is nice to hear about the dynamic and relationship between Staios and the organization's director of hockey analytics, Sean Tierney.

During a season seat member Q&A from a week ago, Staios shared an anecdote about how his eye test sometimes does not mesh with the analytics. After sending Tierney a note regarding some prospective players he was interested in, Staios received an email shortly thereafter with a subject line entitled, 'Bad Ideas.'

The entirety of Staios' answer can be seen below.

Having that comfort and relationship should continue to benefit the organization moving forward, but coming out of the trade deadline, the general manager's enthusiasm for what the organization accomplished was evident.

"We're happy with what we're able to do," Staios stated. "The group has responded well, and I'm excited for them because this is the first time they've gotten this chance to play in these types of games and these moments."

After eight long years, fans share that excitement.