On Monday, he made his biggest career transaction by acquiring 2022 Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark. The rookie DG could not miss an opportunity like this to resolve one of the needs of his training.
“I tried to address one thing that if we had been better last year, we would have been a lot closer to a playoff spot,” Staios said. […] Korpisalo and Forsberg are better than what they showed last season. On the other hand, the opportunity was too good to acquire a goalkeeper and a person of the quality of Linus.
Next season, Ullmark will reach the final year of his contract worth five million dollars annually. Regarding a possible contract extension, discussions have still not started and they are not in the short-term plans. However, the door is far from closed to extend the star goaltender.
“The priority right now is to integrate Linus into our group and make him comfortable. We want them to get to know the organization. We have full confidence in the people who work with us. […] Discussions will take place at the appropriate time.”
Still work to do
Linus Ullmark arrives in Ottawa in the number one goalie chair. (Bill Kostroun /Archives AP)
Even though he can check off one box on his grocery list, Staios still has a few items to find in order to maximize his team’s chances of success. He confirms that several discussions are underway with his counterparts.
“We’ve been pretty busy for a few weeks now. We try to find opportunities to improve our team. The acquisition of Linus is a big step in the right direction and we are trying to continue in this direction. There are conversations that have been going on for several weeks and other news. You never know where it’s going to go until a deal is made.”
When asked about the transaction rumors surrounding Thomas Chabot, the Sens GM was very clear in his response. “It wasn’t discussed once. I don’t get distracted by these kinds of rumors. I think every player on our team has been named in rumors at one point or another. This is the era in which we live, but it is absolutely not true regarding Thomas Chabot.
However, he remained more evasive regarding the negotiations surrounding young striker Shane Pinto. The latter is a restricted free agent and is not entitled to salary arbitration.
“I will not talk about contract negotiations in public. I think Shane knows what we think of him as a player and we are working towards that. We hope to be able to resolve this matter sooner rather than later, but sometimes it takes time.”
Shane Pinto is one of the important pieces of the Senators’ young core. (Patrick Woodbury/Archives, Le Droit)
A precious seventh choice
The 2024 NHL Draft gets underway Friday night in Las Vegas. Ottawa has the seventh overall pick. The latter is the envy of several teams who called to find out his availability. The level of the first 10 choices is very high, but unlike several previous selection sessions, no one can predict the order between choices two to 10. Each selection will therefore have a very great influence on the transaction market.
“There is a lot of interest surrounding this choice. If the opportunity to move it seems right to us, we will seriously consider it. The order of players selected will have a say. We believe we are in a great position right now with our seventh pick. All the teams want to move into the top 10 so we continue to listen to offers.”
Once the draft is completed, the free agent market will open on Monday, July 1. It is difficult for Staios to determine his strategy since several moves can take place between now and then. The transaction market, however, seems to be its primary option.
“This will be our next opportunity to improve. Our answers will come based on what happens over the next few days. If we are not as active as expected, we will look at potential free agents.
