Thoughts in Bold: Staios Speaks on TSN 1200 Yesterday Morning

General manager Steve Staios visited the TSN 1200 studio yesterday morning, where he discussed a number of newsworthy items ahead of the team’s season opener on Thursday.

If you are not familiar with the format of these posts, it is pretty straightforward. I have transcribed all of Staios’ reflections below before adding my own thoughts, which will be highlighted in bold.

To listen to the full interview, you can follow this link.

Enjoy.

On why he is hopeful for the coming season…

“Well, we were very detailed in our approach in the offseason with the with the roster construction. We looked at the goaltending as one of the key factors on why we didn't have success last year. It wasn't just on the goaltending. I think there were just a lot of things in front of the goaltending that led to it. But, the fact that we could go and make a trade for Linus Ullmark, I think, started the process of stabilizing the roster. Really the keys were goaltending, balancing out the defense corps and (adding) veterans. So, we felt like we were able to accomplish that, and that gives me some hope.”

Anytime you can replace the worst statistical goaltender in the NHL by Evolving-Hockey’s ‘goals saved above expected’ (GSAx) with a goaltender who has the sixth-highest cumulative GSAx in the NHL over the past four seasons per Evolving-Hockey, you are going to lengths to address and stabilize the greatest area of weakness.

The Senators are banking heavily on the importance of balancing out the top four. Jakob Chychrun was a talented player, but a poor fit. The combination of his handedness and controllable term remaining on his deal (one season) made him an easy candidate to be shipped out.

The veteran additions the Senators made were not necessarily sexy, but the organization added elements that they previously lacked. Nick Jensen is similar to Artem Zub in the sense that he’s a relative unknown who has posted some very strong defensive seasons, at least analytically, since his 2017-18 campaign in Detroit. David Perron was brought in for his experience and his ability to extend shifts in the offensive zone. Too often in the past, the organization has been a victim of too many one-and-done offensive sequences. Getting more sustained zone time has been emphasized in camp and, assuming it is successful, it will take a ton of pressure off the team’s defensive game.

On Ullmark’s leadership and confidence and it permeating through the roster…

"Well, it's the one position. I think that you can look at it with the group, they can really build confidence. The way Linus goes about his business. I mean, he's obviously very good at playing goal, but there's leadership qualities to him. He came from an organization in Boston where they've had success and played under leaders like Patrice Bergeron, who he speaks very fondly of. I think that that's another area, when I look at leadership to surround this young corps, it's unique to talk about it in the goaltending position. But, he certainly he brings that as well."

Ullmark brings a dry and witty sense of humour and carries himself with a ton of self-awareness and confidence. This kind of personality lends itself to being a glue guy within that room. His combination of experience, personality, and assured swagger is going to make a lot of friends in that room, and hopefully, it will be contagious.

On whether he knew how strong Ullmark’s character was when they acquired him…

"I think I knew a little bit, but until you see it firsthand and you know his demeanour and his calmness. He's grown a lot, admittedly. He's grown a lot as a person and player, which leads me to why I think the internal growth for this group with the younger core players can not only learn from him, but they have that ability to start to mature and gain some more confidence with experience."

One noticeable item from the Senators’ dressing room after this morning’s practice was how excited the team is to play the Panthers on opening night. It was not young bravado or anything like that. They simply want to rise to the challenge and take on the defending Stanley Cup champions.

On Ullmark’s frankness and delivery and how those qualities can breed confidence…

"Yeah, I think certainly, and that's what I was touching on as far as his personality, his confidence and the way he goes about his business. He's learned to be a great pro and you know, it's unique that he's a goaltender and has those qualities and leadership. He's vocal on the ice as well. As a defenceman, I always loved when my goaltender would talk on the ice and give you a heads-up. It's up to your teammates when you're going back for a puck to let you know, but a goaltender can dictate the play as well, and we're certainly glad to have him on our team."

Amen.

On when the right time is to open contract negotiations with Ullmark’s agent…

"Yeah, I think that's a good question. We'll take it a day at a time in that regard, again, I think the focus is on not only Linus and Mo and the family being comfortable here in Ottawa, but for Linus to be comfortable, to prepare for the season. So, we don't want any distractions for him and the time will come when those conversations happen."

Kudos to Staios for playing it coy. The Senators unexpectedly announced they had signed the goaltender to a four-year contract extension that will keep him with the Senators through the 2028-29 season.

I analyzed the extension over at The Hockey News earlier today, so I won’t get too into the details here. (Actually, if you can click on the link and support my work over there, it would be greatly appreciated.)

All that matters is that the Senators have signed one of the league’s best statistical goalies for the past several years to an extension, which in theory, should bolster and stabilize the position for the foreseeable future. His contract’s average annual value is commensurate with starters (Hellebuyck, Bobrovsky, Vasilevskiy) who do the lion’s share of the work. Ullmark’s regular season high for appearances is 49, so he has never had the opportunity to take on that kind of workload. To his credit, however, all he has done when he has played is perform at an elite level. He will get the opportunity to play more games here, the hope is that he will continue to perform at that level as the workload increases. And on the flip side, there is going to be an accompanying pressure on backup goaltender Anton Forsberg to perform capably for spells to help Ullmark’s load management.

On the decision-making process to return Carter Yakemchuk to the WHL…

"That's certainly fair to say. You draft the player, you bring him to camp, and you watch him through camp and how he handles certain situations. We kept throwing more at Carter, and he continued to impress us with what he was able to do. He made it very difficult for us. At the end of the day, he's a 19-year-old defenceman, and I think we see the potential of him. I think our fans see the potential. They know where he can take his game to. To try and rush it along… getting him in and out of games, playing him in certain situations. I like the idea of him having some stability, going back and being a leader on his team, and playing in all situations. We have some time with Carter. At the end of the day, I think it was good on him to make it so challenging for us to have him to send him back, and that's all on him. I mean, he's grown a lot since we first met him at the combine as a person. He's grown in confidence, and there's no doubt in my mind that we made the right decision to get him back in playing."

It is very rare for a prospect to have their development adversely impacted after they have been returned to junior, but it really would have been nice to see Yakemchuk be rewarded for his training camp and preseason with some NHL games to see whether he could continue to hold his own against a higher level of competition. With two right-shot defencemen in Jacob Bernard-Docker and Travis Hamonic vying for that same spot, it admittedly would have been pretty difficult to put two extra right-shot defencemen in the press box every night. With that said, it is a testament to the growth in Yakemchuk’s play and confidence that he made it a difficult decision for the hockey ops department.

On whether there was a time when he believed the organization nailed their selection of Yakemchuk…

"I think when we announced his name. Yeah, I felt really good about the player that we were getting. His hockey sense, I find when you have players who have hockey sense, they figure it out at a certain point in time, and you can nitpick on areas of his game or his skating there, but when you have someone with the hockey sense at the level of Carter, they tend to figure it out. Along with the skillset that he has, and I think the thing that he impressed us the most was, probably just because he didn't have to do it in the WHL, but he didn't focus on the defending, he was focused on the offense, which is exactly what good offensive defensemen do in junior hockey, but I was impressed on how quickly he adapted to the defensive side of the game. When I talk about hockey sense, his anticipation on the defensive side was as good as, or is getting as good as, where he is on the offensive side of the puck, so that's encouraging for us."

In prospect circles, Yakemchuk’s size and offensive skill set were what helped him get drafted inside the top 10. Many acknowledged that his skating and defensive game had some wrinkles that needed refinement, but skating and his pivots are something that he can continue to work on. Staios’ praise of Yakemchuk’s ability to process the game and improve quickly on the defensive side is really encouraging to hear. He already plays a position of need and if his defensive aptitude can reach a high level, the sky is the limit on his potential.

On how impressive it is that he kept rising to the challenges and level of competition…

"Yeah, he really does, but you made a good point. It is the preseason and the players… Sidney Crosby on October 1st is a different player on November 1st, and we have to be mindful of that. We dug deep. We looked at all 19-year-old defencemen who have come in and played a handful of games or played all the games. It's a very short list. Why are we putting at risk this great prospect and player that we've just drafted to take him off of that learning curve and experience? So again, it was challenging. Full credit to him to even push us that far on it, but certainly, it was one of the more challenging exit interviews that we had."

Sending Yakemchuk down was certainly a conservative and risk-averse decision. I absolutely appreciate and understand the reasoning involved, but I think when you look at the alternatives for the third pairing right defence slot, the alternatives are not particularly strong. Bernard-Docker is still relatively young and is coming off his first full season as an NHL regular, but his on-ice impacts were pretty limited. Despite all of the praise being thrown Travis Hamonic’s way for the way he’s performing coming off offseason knee surgery, his defensive impact metrics have waned since his 2018-19 season in Calgary. Together, their on-ice contributions have been replacement level or worse. For two players characterized as defensive defencemen, it probably would not have been too difficult for Yakemchuk to outperform them — before even considering his ability to impact the game offensively. It would have been fun to see the uber-prospect get an opportunity, but I certainly understand why management resisted the temptation. They are putting the club’s medium and long-term interests ahead of whatever short-term benefits Yakemchuk may have brought.

On having confidence in the team’s projected bottom pairing and quality of depth…

"Yes. I am. I think we didn't see the best of Travis Hamonic last year. He was dealing with a knee injury. He had surgery to get that cleaned up. He's come in really good shape, and is turning into the defenceman that, or going back to the defenceman that we had a year ago, and he's the guy that we used to see the most in the '80s. He's looking to be a better defensive player than he was before, and so, everybody looks for these right-shot defencemen that are in the mid-30s that have experience and passion, and he's really been good through training camp. Tyler Kleven's taken a step. I thought he got off to a bit of a slow start at camp, but certainly he's moving in the right direction. I left Tyler down in Belleville a little bit longer. When this moment happened, and now he's with our team, that he has that under his belt. We were just talking about Carter, but (it is a) similar approach where we want to make sure that when our prospects are ready, they're ready. And, they've had that experience to be able to step in and there's still going to be bumps in the road for these young players. But certainly, I think they're better equipped to handle it. (Jacob Bernard-Docker) is another young defenceman who gave us a stretch of good games last year, and again, I think he's a solid young defenceman for us. Now, the one thing that I'd point to is we have some unrealized depth, Max Gannett and Matinpalo on the right side. Sebrango really took a step, and Roos and Davies. I think every general manager would be looking at it the same way I am. Would you like more experienced depth? Yeah, sure, but we're in a cap era. We're in a situation now where we have seven defensemen that are all certainly capable of playing and adding to our team. We'll see how the unrealized depth continues to pan out. Belleville's an extension of our system. I told our players when we were sending them there, that you're not getting cut. You're going there to develop, and I have confidence in David Bell and the coaching staff that they're going to do good work for those players.”

I’m working on an article for The Hockey News assessing the state of the team’s third pairing and the organization’s confidence in it. Keep an eye out for it.

On potentially wanting more depth on the blue line…

"Yeah, I mean, you pray for good health, first of all, but we're all gonna have to deal with it at some point in time. If you really dig into it, I probably don't have the time to get into it, but there are defencemen, there are players, the depth players that stand out in an NHL season and you’re like, 'Where'd this guy come from?' That's why Belleville is so important to us, they're prepared to be able to be one of those players. Every year there's a 24 or 25-year-old defenceman that's playing on a team in a Stanley Cup playoffs, and you go, 'Wow! Who's that guy?' and anybody could have had him. So, you know, Rob DiMaio on our pro scouting staff and his staff are, you know, we scour the league for players like that, but at this point in time, we feel comfortable with what we have and that unrealized potential on these players that I just mentioned, we gotta make sure that they're ready if and when they get that opportunity."

There was a belief earlier this week that the Senators could stand to put in a claim on a left-shot defenceman on Monday before rosters were finalized, but Monday’s 2 pm waiver deadline came and went without a transaction. Having returned Yakemchuk to Calgary of the WHL, the Senators are hopeful that a Tyler Kleven and Travis Hamonic/Jacob Bernard-Docker duo can tread water.

Thanks to the presence of Hamonic’s no-movement clause, there is no flexibility to do anything there. In other words, if the organization is going to look at making improvements, it will come at the expense of one of the two University of North Dakota products.

On Ridly Greig starting the season on the wing and whether the organization sees upside in him as a potential centre…

"It's a good question. I think he's very good in the middle of the ice, but with our center depth position, that would put him further down in the lineup. He's too good of a player to have (at the bottom of the lineup). So, you know, it's a luxury for Travis and the coaching staff to have and I could say that with a lot of our players. Our wingers in particular. I think Michael Amadio can play in all positions and up and down a lineup. He can play in your top six, he can play in your bottom six. Noah Gregor has shown that he has a lot of game and can complement the higher-ups in the lineup if we need to, but Ridly is certainly one of those players that, you know, we can play him in all situations and still a young player too, still got lots of room to grow and develop."

Assuming Josh Norris was healthy, it always made sense to have Ridly Greig begin the season on the wing. Norris has played the pivot position since arriving in the league and with the presence of Tim Stützle and Shane Pinto, there was no pressure to have Greig play down the middle. Obviously, his defensive aptitude complements the centre position given its responsibilities. At the same time, his forechecking and ability to engage in and win battles alongside the wall should play well at the wing position.

On Adam Gaudette’s camp and his evolution as a pro player…

"Well, he was consistent. He's a smart player, so he's in around the puck on the defensive side of things. Along with the ability to put the puck in the net when he does get the opportunity. (He's) a player with some NHL experience at this point in his career knows that he has to dig in and do things right to stay in the NHL as a consistent player. So yeah, I'm excited to see how he plays in that role. But, he understands that he's gonna have to push, and we have players that push in that position. We talked about the defencemen depth, but we have depth on forward now. Like more depth, a lot more depth than we had going into last year at this point in time with all those players that can come up and play in that position. Adam gets a chance to prove himself early on in the season and hope he does well with it."

Gaudette had an exceptional preseason. His four goals led the Senators during the preseason, and his five points were the team’s second-highest total. His work with the puck also contributed to a number of drawn penalties. Only Brady Tkachuk, Ridly Greig and Donovan Sebrango drew a higher rate of penalties during the preseason than Gaudette. His offence and quality of shot are certainly assets that differentiate him from his competition, but with a host of depth in Belleville that will be pushing for the first phone call and promotion, there will be some pressure on him to continue his strong play. Clearing waivers on Monday could certainly work against him. The Senators can move him between the AHL and NHL without requiring waivers until he hits the 10 games played threshold or 30 days in the NHL - whatever happens first.

On who within the top-nine can take a marked step forward…

"All of them to a certain degree. I think we have, they're coming to, not even just the age, but the experience of games played, the NHL, where you're looking for them to take that next step. I think with the stability of the coaching staff and what they've been preaching and demanding of our players, it's a good opportunity for them to take the next step. I mean, with all of them, really. I mean, we have a healthy Josh Norris back in the lineup, Shane Pinto for an entire season. Highly motivated Tim Stützle. Obviously a highly motivated captain, and Brady. But there seems to be a maturity in this group that I didn't see last year. There's a calm demeanour and seriousness about the season and doing things right now. The Perrons of the world, the Amadios and the Jensens, and the way that they carry themselves, I think has expedited that for that core group of players. So I'm excited to see it, and I've talked about internal growth. They're at a point in their career where they still have more to give. I think from the perspective of experience and (being) tired of losing as well, is gonna be the motivating factor for them."

There is so much talent in the top nine that can break out. Tim Stützle can certainly improve on last season’s numbers (18 goals, 70 points). Brady Tkachuk’s numbers could explode if the shot-generating machine ever experiences improved luck and has his shooting percentage spike to the 14-15 percent range. If that happens, Tkachuk can hit the 50-goal threshold. Josh Norris should be due for some positive regression now that he’s healthy and the talent around him has improved. The Senators’ third line of David Perron, Shane Pinto and Michael Amadio should benefit in the matchup game. It is exciting to think about how many pieces of Ottawa’s young core could reasonably experience improved seasons.

On Michael Amadio’s preseason and how quickly he has fit in…

"Yeah, Amadio was one of those players, who sort of flew under the radar. I knew him from junior, got to watch him play. I mean, he's an offensive guy in junior, but always responsible away from the puck. And then he comes out of being in an organization, a Stanley Cup-winning organization in Vegas, with a lot of depth. I sensed that he had a little bit more to his game than the role that he was playing, but they were loaded with forwards in Vegas. And it's incredible to see this consistency. I think shift to shift, he's the same player. And you know what you're gonna get from him every night. That's a good feeling for a manager, but most importantly for a coach, you can put him out in any situation. (He’s) a responsible player, great hockey sense, great teammate.”

The more I watch Amadio, the more he reminds me of a poor man’s Clarke MacArthur.

On assessing Travis Green now that he has had a chance to be around him and see his training camp…

"Well, I'm impressed with his leadership ability, his commitment, but also his ability to collaborate and use his staff. I think that everybody's empowered. We have great depth in our coaching staff, including Jacques Martin, who's been around the group just about every day. So, collectively as a group, I think they're extremely strong, and there are layers all the way through, right down to Ben Sexton. When we talk about this core group or any of our players in the development, we have the ability to go out from a coaching perspective and work on these areas with these players, whether it's individually or in small groups as well to continue to grow. Travis has been impressive. I think it came well-documented that he's gonna have a hard training camp. Our players were prepared for it. They came in great shape, and I think he's got this group ready for a good start."

Green is in an interesting spot. On one hand, I believe it’s reasonable to assume that it is going to take time for him to get this team to execute and play exactly how he envisions. On the other, this group of players and this organization’s fans have endured several seasons worth of disappointing starts in which the team was out of postseason contention by American Thanksgiving. Obviously he has no control over the past and can only prepare for the future, but I feel like there’s a delicate balance in place because he and management should be afforded some patience. Yet, at the same time, there has to be a proportionate recognition that there is pressure to get this team playing well out of the gate to avoid another poor start.

On how much more comfortable are you feeling just doing the job now that he has had a year under his belt…

"Yeah, I think it's a good first step for us as a staff. I think we've managed to touch on the key areas that I talked about, goaltending, defense, and veteran presence. We've added depth and we've kept some flexibility. So, it sounds good right now that we got to it, but there was a ton of work to be done to be able to get all those things in place. So we're comfortable with that. I think it's a good first step for our group and the processes that we've used. We've certainly learned along the way as well. Go back to the trade deadline, we had a process in place, and it didn't provide anything for us, but we were disciplined. It allowed us to be active in the offseason. I think, like everybody, you feel good about it. You're never quite always satisfied. We talked about areas where you continue to look to try and add to the group, but I think right now, it's time for this group, the coaching staff and the players to come together as a team. Then we can evaluate as we go along here, but (I’m) certainly excited about the balance and stability.”

I’m excited about the balance and stability too. It’s been far too long since a sense of normalcy hung over this organization. It’s a welcomed relief.