Steve Staios Pre-Draft Media Availability

Steve Staios Pre-Draft Media Availability

hey Steve just uh couple things for me um since you did the omark trade um H how busy have your phones been in the last 24 36 hours um tough to answer that Bruce I think busy is I think we’ve been busy for a couple of weeks really um looking at ways and opportunities to uh you know to add some elements to what we feel we need with the with our Ottawa Senators so um you know uh getting the trade done for lenus was a um you know was a big step in that direction for us and uh we’ll look at opportunities here moving forward I mean there’s conversations that have been ongoing for a while and some new ones that have have started to come up but uh again you never you never really know until you you you you get it over the finish line so I don’t it’s hard to handicap better anticipate if anything else will get done before the draft you um but you you were able to I guess check a big box on your list Steve by by getting the goenda upgrade with a with another forward or two and and perhaps a defenseman uh we’re looking at all areas Bruce I think I’ve said that to you before it’s um you know sometimes the market dictates if it’s you know know the right fit for us or not uh not just on the you you identify the player uh or players that you’d like to inquire about and you know if if the value going out is is is something we’re willing to do so um you know I pretty clear I don’t like to make deals just to make deals we gotta you know we got to be precise in what we’re looking for um and uh detailed in our approach so um certainly we’re continue to work on it just last for me there was a uh I guess a report today that uh perhaps Thomas Shabbat is available can you can you address that for me yeah not sure where that comes from it hasn’t been talked about once it’s just so I mean I don’t uh I I don’t I don’t get distracted by um a lot of the stuff I think probably every player on our team has been uh rumored at some point so it’s uh it’s the day and age we live in I feel for our for our players um but no truth to that Steve we’ll go next to Wayne scanland at sports St uh hi Steve uh everything’s kind of packed in here together now so with the draft and then re agency coming up so soon after so I’ll ask you first about the draft how much movement do you think there will be uh in the in the top 10 it’s a good question I think Wayne in a year like this it’s just not as clearcut as it’s been in previous years I think that’s safe to say um we feel like we’re in a real good spot at seven to be able to get a um you know a very good player for us in Ottawa and um but uh again you look at opportunities I think teams that are are not in the top 10 or interested in getting in the top 10 so um we’re willing to listen but uh it’s been certainly it’s been a different year where I don’t think that there’s been that you know probably up close to this point in time before the draft you kind of know what one through five or six might look like but that’s not the case this year and and I guess you know obviously you’re looking to make trades if if something makes sense for your club but as far as free agency how busy do you expect to be on on Monday in the ear of July as a free agency opens up I think that that will all depend on what if anything gets done in the next couple of days yeah I think that uh you know we’re prepared for that that be our next opportunity um to improve our team um so I think the the answer to that will come um you know as this process takes takes hold over the next few days and if uh if there’s anything that does happen prior to that uh maybe we’re not as active and U if it if if if it doesn’t then you know we’ll we’ll look at some potential free agents for us thank you Steve we’ll go next to Clare Hannah TSN hey Steve how’s it going um I just actually want to go back to the lenus allmark trade um you mentioned in the middle of the Season that goal tending you know you felt there could be Improvement but the goenda like there could be Improvement as well so at what point did you really start targeting him and how did it all come together about I don’t know 15 20 minutes before puck drop of game seven yeah well um I do I I stand by what I said at the end of the season CL on I I know those I know our goal tenders Corpus Salo and and forsberg are both better than how they performed last year so um I do stand by that but when you have an opportunity to uh you know to acquire a person of Lena sark’s uh ability and um and the quality of person to be quite honest it’s uh um you know you have to look at it look at it long and hard um and that’s sort of what propelled us to continue to go down that path um you know so it’s just it’s it’s you know again the opportunity was too great for us to be able to add someone of Len’s um you know uh ability to our team that that’s why we went through with that okay and then a follow up on that just if that if goal tending was a priority what’s going to be the next priority for you well I think you look at trying to balance the roster out I mean there’s we have plenty of ideas and thoughts on how we can balance this out and and and you know um but again the market sometimes dictates if those types of players are available and what the value might be going out uh those are all factors into whether we would move forward on something but uh you know I think we’re we’re we’re we’re we’re moving towards the draft I think teams are you know in a position now where they’re they’re trying to sort out um you know business as well so that’s an opportunity and again going back to the previous question that we’ll look at free agency for areas to be able to balance it out at the at the end of the day for this group um with lenus uh you know with the addition of lenus allmark and what I believe is the potential for the internal growth for our group um and for our players individually and as a team with the new coaching staff I believe we’re moving in the right direction and I’ll continue to do my work to see if there’s any areas that we can continue to add to the team to uh to to you know to get us in the right direction uh Steve we’ll go next to Murray Pam at full press NHL hi Steve uh this may be actually a weekend question but I’m not certain if you can elaborate but are you able to confirm if any pending RFA or ufas won’t be returning at this point yeah I I I won’t speak to that at this point Steve will go next to Mar K Radio Canada hi Steve um I’m just wondering about the all Mark uh you made that big trade uh he’s got a year left on his contract um at what point do you expect to try to engage in discussions with his agent about a possible extension yeah the priority right now is to have lenus uh in with our group and have him comfortable and get get him to know what the Ottawa senator are all about moving forward um and uh I have full confidence in what we’re doing with our team I have full confidence um with our coaching staff and our Core group of players I have full confidence in uh I’ve seen firsthand over my first year uh how the Ottawa gatau Community embrac our our players um those are the things that we want to uh you know continue to Showcase as we move forward with any of our players or people that we’re bringing in and so um the discussions on the extension will happen at the appropriate time my priority right now is to have uh Leen us uh in with our group and have him comfortable Steve next question is from Lisa Wallace at the Canadian press hey Steve hope all is well um I guess you know go tending has been a bit of an issue for this team the last few years and while you weren’t here a lot of your players have sort of endured some of the challenges and they were quite vocal at the end of the season you know of wanting to be better and and have those playoff runs how much did that play a factor for you in wanting to maybe go out and make this kind of trade and and showing the team that this new ownership new management is really dedicated to to to moving things forward I think Lisa the it has less to do with the the new manager trying to make a statement but my assessment of the group and what can help them move forward so um it I’m I was trying to address a need you know I was trying to address um a need that I thought that if we were if if we were better in that area last year we would have been um a lot closer to to qualifying for this Stanley Cup playoffs so identified that as an area that if we could improve um that that would be a priority um I do feel like this group is ready to take the next step in their development now that’s not putting any false expectations really my expectation is that we continue to grow from within and we continue to improve um I I have full confidence in the coaching staff and the depth of the coaching staff with with with the experience now of Travis and Daniel and Mike yo and Nolan bomgardner and Ben seon that the play in front of our goenda and so that’s a big factor in it as well uh so in saying that I don’t think that it was you know I didn’t feel like it was something that I needed to do um for any other reason than it was the right thing to do and and just a followup on that I guess is you know when he spoke to lunus earlier he talked about the importance of playing with guys like Patrice berson and Brad marshan and seeing the work that it takes to be as good as the Bruins have been in the years past was finding a player with that kind of experience uh you know important for you to bring sort of that experience to the room as well it was it’s very important it’s Unique that this is coming that type of experience and you know I’d go so far to say leadership uh is coming from the goal tending position but in fact lenus does bring that experience and he knows what a winning culture looks like so um you know typically you look at adding players like that um that are on forward or defense I think lenx lenus brings a um a unique blend because of that experience in a winning organization um and also being starting go tender thank you uh Steve we go next to Alex Adams the hockey news hey Steve um I know I know you just talked a little about not wanting to talk about rfas but I just I know you spoke to Ian just today but about uh Shane Pinto I know he really wanted a contract you know done before now how like what’s your kind of process with him and maybe versus a long-term contract versus a short-term contract in terms of how you want to you know how long you want to sign them for yeah I I won’t speak to the negotiations on a contract ever publicly um I think Shane knows what we think of him as a player and uh you know we’re working we’re working towards that so um you [Music] know hopefully sooner rather than later but you know these things sometimes take time but uh I guess that’s that’s all I’ll say on that is that we are working towards towards that and Steve the last one this afternoon we’ll Circle back to Bruce hey Steve just uh couple other things for me um just on your number seven pick do you think it’s fluid because people aren’t I think by now you could usually say what the top 10 is going to be but there seems to be a lot of debate about what that top 10 might be you think that’s why teams are being fluid and maybe in investigating with you trying to get seven and give give you an asset and maybe you move back a couple of spots I mean it could be it’s U we’ve had plenty of interest in the pick um if that possibility if that opportunity comes up and we like what the return is then we we would think about it um yeah probably because um there is a little bit of a question on what the order might be at this point um you know um but everybody would love to move into the top 10 in any year so um again we’ll uh we’ll continue to listen what’s your feeling on Russian players um Steve this organization really has not drafted them or or signed them uh you know with the exception of sole off in the last few years what’s your take on them we’ll put each player in positions where the the scouts are continuing to uh you know look at the list and making sure that they put them in order and we’ll put we’ll put the players in order no matter what their nationality is and and you said today that you are not going to exercise any biots at this juncture uh no plan on that okay and last thing for me just these are kind of housekeeping issues have you made a decision on whether you will qualify Eric branstrom or not I I won’t speak to that Bruce at this point okay

Hear from GM and President of Hockey Operations Steve Staios as he addresses the Ottawa media landscape from Las Vegas ahead of the NHL Draft