“There are conversations that have been ongoing for a while and some new ones that have started to come up. You never really know until you get to the finish line.”
Steve Staios is ready to roll the dice on the Las Vegas strip this weekend if he thinks it will help make the Ottawa Senators a winner.
While the Senators president of hockey operations and general manager has already made one big deal by acquiring Linus Ullmark from the Boston Bruins, Staios told reporters on a Zoom call Wednesday he’s still trying to find the right pieces for the club’s roster.
Advertisement 2
Article content
Postmedia has reported that Staios is “open for business” as the Senators prepare for the first round of the National Hockey League draft Friday at The Sphere in Vegas and he has been busy working the phones.
“We’ve been busy for a couple of weeks looking at ways and opportunities to add some elements to what we feel we need,” Staios said. “Getting the trade done for Linus was a big step in that direction and we’ll look at opportunities moving forward.
“There are conversations that have been ongoing for a while and some new ones that have started to come up. You never really know until you get to the finish line. It’s hard to handicap (a deal) or anticipate if anything else is going to happen before the draft.”
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
Postmedia has reported the Senators are trying to move speedy winger Mathieu Joseph before the draft wraps up Saturday afternoon. The club is also trying to determine what the market looks like for defenceman Jakob Chychrun, who has one year left at $4.6 million.
League executives say the Senators are seeking a first- and second-round pick or a high-end prospect in exchange for Chychrun. Staios is keeping his options open on the trade front and is exploring every opportunity he has to make the organization better.
Advertisement 3
Article content
“We’re looking at all areas,” Staios said. “Sometimes the market dictates whether it’s the right fit or not. You identify the player or players you’d like to inquire about and if the value going out is something we’re willing to do.
“I don’t like to make deals just to make deals. We’ve got to be precise in what we’re looking for and detailed in our approach. We’re continuing to work on it.”
One player who won’t be going anywhere is alternate captain Thomas Chabot. Staios shot down a rumour Wednesday the veteran defenceman, who has a 10-team no-trade clause that kicks in Monday, was available.
“Not sure where that comes from,” Staios said. “It hasn’t been talked about once. I don’t get distracted by a lot of stuff. Probably every player on our team has been rumoured at some point. It’s the day and age we live. I feel for our players but there’s not truth to that.”
The Senators have the No. 7 overall selection in the draft Friday night and Staios has been taking calls from teams that want to move up. If that’s going to happen, he’d be willing to move back a few spots, but that’s something that likely won’t be decided until the club gets the draft floor.
Advertisement 4
Article content
Part of that may depend on what happens in front of the club and if chief scout Don Boyd feels moving back is the right decision.
Staios said nobody has a real feel for which way this draft will head after Macklin Celebrini is taken No. 1 overall by the San Jose Sharks.
“It’s just not as clear cut as it has been in previous years,” Staios said. “We feel like we’re in a really good spot at No. 7 to be able to get a very good player for Ottawa. You look at opportunities and teams that aren’t in the top 10 are interested in getting in the top 10.
“We’re willing to listen but it’s certainly been a different year.”
Once the draft is over, the club also has decisions to make on the opening of free agency Monday at noon. Staios said he won’t be buying out anyone during the period that opens Thursday, which means Travis Hamonic will play out the final year of his contract as a seventh defenceman.
Recommended from Editorial
A determination also has to be made on the future of defenceman Erik Brannstrom, a restricted free agent who may not get a qualifying offer at Sunday’s 5 p.m. deadline.
Advertisement 5
Article content
Asked specifically about Brannstrom, Staios said: “I won’t speak to that at this point.”
Everybody hears things differently, but I’ll take that statement as a sure sign that Brannstrom likely won’t be brought back at $2 million next season, which means he’ll either have to accept a pay cut to stay with Ottawa or will be cut loose as an unrestricted free agent.
Postmedia has reported the club has spoken with other teams about the possibility of moving Brannstrom and defenceman Jacob Bernard-Docker. The club has Tyler Kleven ready to make the jump from the minors.
This newspaper has reported that the Senators and centre Shane Pinto are trying to get a new deal in place, but there’s a “gap to bridge” to make that happen and they are also discussing a two-year contract along with a five or six year deal.
“Shane knows what we think of him as a player and we’re working towards that,” Staios said. “Hopefully, sooner rather than later, but these things sometimes take time.”
Article content
 "BCCI want Test specialists to play domestic cricket; Rohit, Virat, Bumrah to be exceptions")
