Just when it looked like Ottawa Senators GM Steve Staios had pushed back from the table, seemingly satisfied with his roster, he made a surprise late addition on Thursday, signing veteran Nick Cousins.
Is Staios finished now? Is he still working the phones? Only time will tell.
But with the unofficial end of summer now here, it’s time to look back and evaluate his first offseason at the helm and whether the Senators are now set up for success in the tough Atlantic division.
Cap Management
This was an issue heading into last year, so the fact that the Senators have not blown their budget is worth pointing out. New head coach Travis Green will be able to dress a full lineup come opening night with at least one extra player.
Staios also delivered this without leveraging another buyout which many were calling for.
Thumbs up so far.
Roster Moves – Outgoing
The biggest move was the deal to send Korpisalo to the Bruins along with Mark Kastelic and a first-round pick in return for 2023 Vezina winner, Linus Ullmark.
The move instantly upgraded the crease, and it came at a cost. Retaining $1 million of Korpisalo’s cap hit per year for the next four years is not inexpensive, but status quo in the crease simply wasn’t an option.
Kastelic had an off-year and though he is good at the faceoff dot and has some grit, he is replaceable.
Another noteworthy trade was sending Jakob Chychrun to Washington for Nick Jensen and a 2026 third rounder. The addition of Jensen provides balance and leadership to the right side of the defence, and though the Senators take a hit on the offensive side of the ledger, Jensen has been to the dance in five of the last six seasons, which Chychrun has never done.
Jensen will be 35 at the end of this contract and doesn’t appear to be a long-term solution, but for a team hoping to get to the playoffs now, there isn’t a lot of downside here.
The Sens also unloaded Mathieu Joseph and his cap hit for the next two years. Joseph had a bounce back year and his speed might have been nice to have around. That said, he lacks the grit that today’s Senators covet.
Meanwhile, Staios didn’t just make his mark by doing, he also made it by not doing.
Staios chose to give the Senators organization closure on the Mark Stone trade by not qualifying Erik Brannstrom and letting him go the UFA route. If a suitable trade was not an option, this move makes sense. If he had stayed, Brannstrom would have gotten more than the $2 million cap hit he had last year via…