Senators Disciplined for Role in Dadonov Fiasco, Dorion Resigns as GM
From the summer of Dorion to the fall of Pierre.
One of the NHL’s longest-tenured general managers is out.
The whirlwind of news began yesterday morning when the league announced that the Senators would “forfeit a first-round draft pick for their role in the July 2021 trade of Player Evgenii Dadonov.”
It was a hefty penalty levied at the organization, but the Senators do have some measure of control. They can weigh the considerations and determine which year they want to forfeit their first-round pick out of the 2024, 2025 and 2026 NHL Drafts. The NHL outlined in their press release that a “determination as to which pick will be forfeited will be made by Ottawa within 24 hours of the conclusion of the Draft Lottery for that year.”
This is just the ninth instance of a team forfeiting a draft pick because of wrongdoing in the history of the league.
Rather than simply respond with a press release to acknowledge their wrongdoings and respect for the process, the Senators announced a press conference shortly thereafter. When that was revealed, the writing was on the wall. Pierre Dorion was going to be relieved of his duties as the general manager.
Andlauer began the press conference by acknowledging that the taint of the Eugene Melnyk era had finally trickled in and negatively impacted his enjoyment of being the owner.
“Unfortunately, the last 10 days have not been as much fun for me. They have kind of brought me back to earth. Three game losing streaks, three injuries to two right (defencemen) and two disturbing phone calls from the NHL – which has resulted in a young prospect being suspended for 41 games and today, the announcement of the loss of a first-round draft pick. The latter is the reason why I’m here before you today. With respect to today’s NHL’s serious ruling, a 73-page report that was shared with me last week stems from actions originated by our hockey club, unfortunately. That we were negligent in nature and our duty of care was ignored which set off events that embarrassed the league and pissed off two other NHL clubs. As a member of this league, we need to be held accountable for our actions. While this was not done before my watch, I must respect the league’s decision. So, today I’m here to announce that Pierre Dorion has resigned and been relieved of his duties as general manager. I thank Pierre for his efforts for the Sens organization – starting as an amateur scout in 2007 and for his contribution in the Ottawa-Gatineau community.”
A 73-page report? That is 39 fewer pages than the organization’s master plan detailing how it would be “rapidly transformed into Stanley Cup champions from a non-playoff team.”
Dorion’s resignation brings an end to a career with the Senators that spanned 16 years, including parts of eight seasons as the team’s general manager. The Senators played 545 games across those eight seasons. The team compiled a 225-261-59 record for 509 points during that time. Only the Sabres (495), Coyotes (489), Red Wings (480), and the expansion Kraken recorded fewer points during this period.
With the announcement of the press conference, there was some accompanying speculation that the Senators could also announce Dorion’s successor. Names have circled the rumour mill in recent weeks with one of them being Peter Chiarelli. The vice president of hockey operations for the St. Louis Blues was viewed as a frontrunner for the position should it become available, but he was in Sweden yesterday working for the Blues.
The good news is Andlauer announced that president of hockey operations Steve Staios would be assuming the general manager role in the interim.
“Steve Staios will be entrusted to take over the duties as general manager effective immediately as the interim general manager. While the timing is tough for all these decisions coming so quickly, I am looking forward to less phone calls from the NHL offices. We’ll be continuing to focus on bringing forth the ‘best in class’ product on and off the ice for our team.”
Rather than jump on a candidate who is available now who might not necessarily be the best choice, the front office can patiently allow the market to develop and allow the best or most qualified prospective candidates to express interest in the position.
“I’ll do what’s best for the Ottawa Senators,” said Staios. “That’s the bottom line. So, I think as this starts to unfold, I think we’ll take a longer look at what our options might be and who might be available.”
This is an important distinction because the best candidates might not receive permission to interview until after the season ends. In a marked change from the past, there should be a considerable amount of interest in the Senators’ general manager position.
It has been suggested that Staios could ultimately keep the general manager role and responsibilities for himself, but Andlauer believes in having two separate positions for the president of hockey operations and the general manager.
“I like that two-headed monster in management,” explained Andlauer. “It probably could have been avoided, this whole issue. Collaboratively, there is so much to do in hockey operations.”
One of the more palpable aspects of yesterday’s press conference was Andlauer’s frustration. Although he did acknowledge that the Senators were at fault for what transpired, he believed that these issues were preventable.
“We’re at fault for what transpired. We can argue about how harsh this penalty was, but ultimately, this could have been avoided. And, accountability is with our hockey club. Pierre was ultimately responsible for the hockey operations of this club. You say last straw and I think there’s some things. As I said to you in my opening press conference, my first order of the day is to learn. I continue to learn and I’m sure Steve (Staios) is the same way. To me, let’s put it this way, I think a lot of the decisions that have been made or the issues that we’ve had could have been avoided.”
Andlauer was never asked about it, but I wonder how frustrated he was with how long the sale of the Senators dragged on. Had it wrapped up earlier, there would have been ample opportunity to put Staios and others into supporting roles. Had they been heavily involved, there would have been a greater chance that the Senators’ offseason would have been markedly different. Through his comments, it is easy to see Andlauer was disappointed seeing a young asset like Shane Pinto sit on the sidelines because the organization spent their available cap space on one-year veterans.
From there, Andlauer’s frustration pivoted to how long it took for the NHL to investigate and render a decision on these matters.
“I totally agree with you and that’s a question that you’ll have to ask the NHL. Why it took a whole year since the hearing? Granted, it was a two-day hearing and it was a 73-page report. It’s not something that was just a slam dunk. I know the commissioner had a lot of time to deliberate on it and think about it. Why I inherited it is beyond me. There’s no reason for it to last that long. I knew about it through the due diligence process and it was basically from a seller’s perspective, it was really a non-issue. I don’t know if a first-rounder is a non-issue to you guys, but it is to me.”
If Andlauer was told by the NHL or the Senators’ board before the sale was finalized that an investigation wasn’t of serious consequence, that is a red flag.
“To me, it’s about the timing. When this happened, when this young man was under investigation, the organization should have been made aware. I don’t understand why it has taken so long. Maybe because the club was for sale and they didn’t want to disrupt making sure the seller got the biggest price possible. I don’t know. At the end of the day, I can’t answer you. You’ll have to ask the NHL that question.”
This insinuation was masterclass by Andlauer. The irony of the league failing to disclose key information only to punish the Senators heavily for failing to do the same. By introducing the idea that he had been wronged during the sale process, Andlauer helped change the narrative. Instead of focusing entirely on the Senators’ negligence, some of the media have echoed his sentiments — gaining empathy for the new owner. Even though he never admitted it, Andlauer’s reflections on the league’s failure to disclose feels like the launching point he needs to leverage the situation to reduce the punishment doled out by the league.
It was an inspiring display and a welcomed change to see an owner and the head of hockey operations effectively communicate and punch back. Fans in this city have grown tired of being a punching bag after the hapless ownership during the Melnyk era. These executives have quickly tapped into what fans have been clamouring for.
It says something about the two individuals and the state of this fan base, when a press conference to announce the termination of a long-tenured employee and the loss of a first-round pick can be portrayed as a source of inspiration.
I was planning on using this space as an opportunity to analyze Dorion’s legacy, but I’m going to save it for another piece that I’ll post in the next day or two.
What I will say is that Dorion’s stamp on this team is tied to the success of this team’s top-five draft picks and his ability to extend Ottawa’s young core to long-term contracts. Inking Brady Tkachuk to a seven-year contract after the public relations disaster of the team’s roster teardown was remarkable. Especially so after the way in which Tkachuk’s roommate and mentor, Mark Stone, was dealt to Vegas. It would have been easy for Tkachuk to ride out the rest of his controllable years on a bridge deal and move on, but he didn’t. He stuck it out and set the bar for the rest of Ottawa’s young core.
Other News and Notes:
According to Sportico, Michael Andlauer reportedly sold his 10 percent minority interest in the Montreal Canadiens at a “$2.5 billion enterprise value.” In other words, the organization was estimated to have a franchise value of $2.5 billion, so Andlauer sold his stake at that rate for $250 million.
The Senators recently announced the hiring of Matt Nichol as the director of player health and performance. Nichol is a recognized and well-respected name in his field. He spent seven years as the strength and conditioning coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He also was the founder and the product formulator at BioSteel Sports Nutrition. With the combination of his background and connections within the industry, Nichol should be an important part of a beefed up hockey operations department.