The Ottawa Senators traded a franchise cornerstone on Sunday afternoon, but president of hockey operations and general manager Steve Staios is just getting started on a process to improve his team ahead of next season.
“I have no intention of this team taking a step back. My intention is to be active in the market, continue to add to already a very strong group, a committed group, a team that continues to move in the right direction,” said Staios on Monday afternoon.
“We made the playoffs in back-to-back years, haven’t had the result in the playoffs as of yet, but I think if you look at it honestly, teams like ours and the way they’re constructed, and the way they’re built, we’re giving ourselves a chance.
“That playoff experience, you look at the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes and sort of their growth as a team, and their identity as a team and what they’ve done, I continue to believe in this group, this core group of players moving forward.”
That core group of players will no longer include Tkachuk, who was traded to Florida — where he’ll play alongside his brother Matthew — in exchange for the two first round picks this year, a top-10 protected first-rounder in 2029, and a 2027 second-round pick.
Staios’s vision heading into this weekend’s draft is crystal clear. With three first-rounders, three third-rounders, and ten picks overall, he can do work to restock the prospect cupboard while also making moves to improve the current roster.
To illustrate just how much interest Staios is receiving for newly-acquired ninth and 25th overall picks, his phone buzzed on the podium as he fielded that very question from local media.
Of course, it’s plausible the phone call may not have been from one of 31 other general managers in the league — though during draft week, it’s not a bad bet that it was, especially with those shiny new picks in hand.
Staios said that the interest in the two picks has been “robust”, which is a welcome sign for fans of a contending team who just traded a star player and is looking to improve on the ice. It’s no surprise that other general managers are lining up to make offers for them — a luxury that Staios welcomes after having a closed auction for Tkachuk.
“I mean, if the player was offered to 31 other teams, what does the return look like? I mean, these trade clauses… are negotiated into the player’s contract, and full value for that player is within those parameters, whether it’s one team or four teams. And would it have looked different with 31 teams involved? Absolutely, we did the best with what we could under the circumstances,” said Staios.
“I engaged in a process to do what’s best for the Ottawa Senators and try to find the best deal available,” he added, noting that Tkachuk asked for a trade following the team’s first round exit to Carolina in this year’s postseason.
“The dynamic of a no-trade clause changes how the transaction works, and how it’s going to look. Clearly, it was pointed at one team at the end. I think I feel comfortable with the return, with dealing with the circumstances that we did to get there. It's not like he was available to every team in the league. It was clearly pointed to one team at the end of [the process].
"As far as the return, would you like to get an impact player back in a deal like this? There's a number of different ways you can get there in the end. I feel like the draft capital and the assets that we returned opens the door for us for many possibilities.”
In terms of those possibilities, Staios and the front office will have just a few days to move ahead of Friday’s first round if they do decide to trade one or both of the 2026 first round picks acquired. They also received a conditional 2027 second-rounder and top-10 protected 2029 first-rounder in the deal, which was finalized Sunday evening.
“I think [number nine] is in play for sure. I don't want anybody to be misled by [seeing] the transaction, [seeing] the picks coming back, you wonder which direction the team's going. I want to be clear, I don't intend on taking a step back because of the trade,” emphasized Staios.
