David Pagnotta: Have been hearing Peter Chiarelli’s name as a potential GM candidate for the Ottawa Senators.
Anthony Di Marco: Have been told by more than one NHL executive that they have heard Chiarelli’s name linked to the Senators.
TSN: Darren Dreger on where the Ottawa Senators go from here with regards to their now vacant GM position.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Reda: “I want to follow up on Staios. So he takes over on an interim basis right now. Is he a serious candidate for the full time job, or where do you think they go from here?
Dreger: “Well, it’s a curious question Gino. If you’re asking this couple of months down the road, I would say 100%, he is a serious contender. I don’t have reason to suggest that he shouldn’t be a serious contender other than the timing.
You do have to look back at the history here. The relationship between Michael Andlauer and Steve Staios, that is a deep one. There’s a high level of trust. Can Steve Staios do the job, dual roles? A 100%. there’s no questioning he can do that.
Timing wise, is he comfortable? Does he need to learn more about the inner workings of the Ottawa Senators and the Belleville Senators and the operation, the full organization of the Ottawa Senators? Probably, but he did also acknowledge, Staios that is, that they’re going to have a look at what their options might be.
Maybe it’s internal. Maybe it’s somebody like Ryan Bowness, who’s an assistant general manager in Ottawa.
But they will do their due diligence. They will look long and hard and what the options might be, but Steve Staios, 100% needs to be considered a strong candidate.
Reda: “So the work continues in our nation’s capital. Hockey insider Darren Dreger.
TSN: Frankie Corrado on where things go from here for the Ottawa Senators and what they should be looking for in a new GM.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Gino Reda: “For more on where they go from here, let’s bring in Frankie Corrado. Frankie, since fans woke up morning with a general manager and a first-round pick. Now both are gone. You’ve played in the league, how does this all play out in that dressing room?”
“It’s a big mess. Like it’s gonna be one of those things that’s a distraction. It’s a talking point for a lot of players in the room. And now you run the risk of guys saying, like, what’s going on here? Like, is this our lives where we come to the rink and every day, there’s a big piece of news, mostly negative.
And, you know, for those players, they have a really promising young group that they need to build around and continue to push to be a good team and make the playoffs in the NHL. There shouldn’t be any more distractions with this group. So yes, Gino, it is a mess. But I will say this, at least on the positive side now, this organization has rid itself of the previous regime and you have an owner and Michael Andlauer and a president now intern GM and Steve Staios, that there should be a lot of belief in that these guys can right the ship.
Gone are the days where the regime of the Ottawa Senators is embarrassing the National Hockey League and other teams in the process. Yes, it’s a mess. But there should be steps forward in the right direction with who’s in charge of this team now.
Reda: “And that’s the key. You want to know who’s in charge as you mentioned, Staios is the interim General Manager, you know their roster, what do the Sens need to look for in a long-term replacement?”
Corrado: “I think it would be detrimental for this team to go back in time. And what I mean by that is, to bring in someone who is of the old guard someone, who’s been recycled in and out of the league.
When I look at Michael Andlauer and the way he spoke so eloquently and candid today in his press conference, I see a guy who’s progressive, forward-thinking, and very smart and Steve Staios is right there with them. They’ve been together for a long time. They had a lot of success at the OHL level.
So they need someone that fits that mold, that fits that vision for them. And I’ll tell you what, Gino, you just need to know where to look in the NHL to find those types of people, but they do exist. It doesn’t always have to be someone who’s been recycled.
So where do you start when you look for someone like that? I don’t know. Maybe start with one of the teams that has one of the best prospect pools in the NHL and see if there’s someone who’s been around and has some experience managing people in that regard.
Like there’s gonna be some names that pop up that may be off the board and that’s okay. But for this group, it seems like they’re building a somewhat robust hockey operations department which has been severely lacking in the Ottawa Senators organization for a long time. Someone who fits the mold of what Andlauer, Staios, Ryan Bowness are all about. And that’s exactly where the Ottawa Senators should be going with this decision.”
