Edmonton's executive shuffle on Thursday may further pave the way for a Michael Andlauer-Steve Staios reunion in Ottawa.

After mixing it up with the Ottawa Senators this summer, player agent Jeff Jackson will no longer be representing Alex DeBrincat. Or Connor McDavid. In fact, he won't be representing anyone. Jackson has set down his agent's hat and joined the ranks of the Edmonton Oilers as their new Chief Executive Officer of Hockey Operations. 

With a new sheriff in town in Edmonton (and sheriffs do tend to want to hire their own deputies), is this yet another sign that Steve Staios may soon be Ottawa-bound? 

Staios has been with the Oilers since last year as a special advisor to the club's hockey operations staff with a focus on player development. He currently reports to President of Hockey Operations and GM Ken Holland, who now reports to Jackson. 

Many observers have felt that Staios, who played 573 games for the Oilers, was a possible replacement for Holland when he retires – whenever that may be.

But Staios may also soon have a job offer waiting for him in Ottawa this fall – maybe a better offer he won't have to wait around for, and working for a man he knows extremely well.

And now, given that Edmonton's vision for the future may have just changed with the Jackson hire, surely that only enhances the odds of Staios heading east to the capital. 

For the record, the odds were already pretty good. Staios and incoming Senators' owner Michael Andlauer have worked together in hockey and business for a long time. They have history.

Until joining the Oilers last year, Staios had been with the Andlauer-owned Hamilton Bulldogs since the 2015-16 season. After a stint with the Toronto Maple Leafs in management and, briefly, as assistant coach, Staios joined the Bulldogs as team president, and the following year was named general manager. Staios and Andlauer were also financial partners in the club and won two Ontario Hockey League titles together.

As a defenceman, Staios played in 1,001 NHL games. He was never the flashiest player, but defensively, he was rock solid. The 2021-22 OHL GM of the year would bring a defensive mindset to a Sens organization that has struggled to find consistency in that area. 

It's also worth noting – a very small note – that Staios isn't listed on the Oilers' website. In the past 48 hours, the Oilers took the time to update the site with Jackson's photo and full biography, but Staios appears nowhere. Naturally, this could be nothing more than a summertime webmaster oversight that may be fixed by the time you read this, but it's intriguing enough to mention.

In any event, if Staios does agree to come east to reunite the Bulldog band, he'd almost certainly arrive with the promise of being Ottawa's next GM or getting the same kind of job Jackson just got in Edmonton. 

And who knows? Maybe it'll be both.