Will Steve Staios become the next GM of the Ottawa Senators?

The Ottawa Senators finally have a new owner with Michael Andlauer winning the bid, so as that deal gets finalized, there are plenty of other big questions facing this organization. The big one involves the future of general manager Pierre Dorion and head coach D.J. Smith, which is still up in the air at this point in time, especially with rumours that Steve Staios may take over as GM.

Frank Seravalli talked about the current state of Dorion and Smith’s futures with the Sens on Daily Faceoff Live.

Frank Seravalli: Well, just on a procedural note, I think it’s really important to point out that the Andlauer group may not be given the keys to this franchise to run it on a day-to-day basis just yet. Think of buying a house, you can come to an agreement of sale, but then it might take you 30 or 60 days to actually close on the property. So there’s the funding side of it, which I’d imagine given all the time it’s taken to get to this point is well on it’s way, but then there’s the formal board of governors approval that would have to come with that.

Now, the NHL’s board of governors are scheduled to meet next Wednesday, so that would be the 21st. I believe it’s in New York City. I did check with some league sources this morning to ask could this possibly be on the agenda for the board of governors to rubber-stamp and approve, the answer highly doubtful, so this is a process that may take some time to play out. Andlauer would also have to meet with the NHL’s executive committee, a ten-member committee that’s the smaller, more powerful group of the board of governors before even getting to that point.

So that’s the procedural part, then becomes the question of what changes happen in the Sens front office. Dorion and his team have been very confident publicly and in people that they’re speaking to that they think they’re going to be in charge. I still think that’s a longshot. You mentioned Staios, I think he’s very likely to be part of this group going into the Senators, I’d imagine in a GM role. He was the GM of the Hamilton Bulldogs when they had all of their success in the OHL. He was also a financial partner and investor in the Bulldogs with Andlauer, so these two have been partners.

You asked about Smith. There have been some rumblings that because of the OHL connections that Andlauer has, that Smith might actually be staying and may be safe. So if I were to gamble, and I am a betting man, I would say that Dorion will be moved out and Smith would stay, that’s the very early reading of the tea leaves.

But when you mention Staios, that means the Edmonton Oilers also have a decision to make. I reported a month ago when the Oilers were eliminated from the playoffs that this was potentially coming should the Andlauer group win the bid for the Sens, that Ken Holland’s entering the final year of his deal as general manager of the Oilers, he does not appear to have interest in staying beyond that. What is the succession plan for this franchise moving forward, and if Steve Staios plays any part in that if they view him as part of the plan moving forward, are they going to make a play to be protective and keep him or are they willing to let him walk? So, that’s the big question facing the Oilers for Staios, who is under contract.

You can watch the full segment here…