Ottawa Senators hire Steve Staios as president of hockey operations

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — The Ottawa Senators have hired Steve Staios as their new president of hockey operations, the latest major hire made by new owner Michael Andlauer since taking control of the team.

The retired defenseman joined the Senators on Friday after resigning from his post as special adviser on the Edmonton Oilers’ hockey operations staff.

Pierre Dorion remains general manager, heading into his eighth NHL season in the role.

Staios previously served the president and general manager of the Ontario Hockey League’s Hamilton Bulldogs from 2016-22, including a stint solely being president in 2015. The franchise is owned by Andlauer.

“I have worked with Steve for many years and know first-hand that he will strengthen our team with his hockey acumen, attention to detail, commitment to excellence and enthusiasm for the game and its players,” Andlauer said in a statement. “In hockey, you can never accumulate too much talent. Having Steve and Pierre leading our hockey department gives us a formidable team.”

The Oilers added Staios roughly a year ago, saying he’d work closely with president of hockey operations and GM Ken Holland. Ownership has since added Jeff Jackson as CEO of hockey operations.

Jackson said the Oilers “have accepted Steve’s resignation, thank him for his time with the club and wish him the best in his future endeavors.”

Staios played 1,034 regular-season and playoff games in the NHL with Boston, Vancouver, Atlanta, Edmonton, Calgary and the New York Islanders from 1996-2012. He joined Toronto as player development adviser after retiring before becoming manager of player development two years later and then moving to the bench to support the Maple Leafs’ interim coaching staff in 2015.

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