Senators elevate interim GM Steve Staios to permanent role

The Ottawa Senators named Steve Staios general manager on Sunday.

The club also appointed Dave Poulin as senior vice president of hockey operations and Ryan Bowness as associate general manager. Both will report to Staios.

Staios was named president of hockey operations on Sept. 29 and interim GM on Nov. 1 when the Senators relieved general manager Pierre Dorion of his duties. That move came hours after the NHL announced that the Senators will forfeit a first-round pick in one of the next three drafts for their role in the July 2021 trade of Evgenii Dadonov to Vegas and the subsequent, invalidated March 2022 trade involving the same player between the Golden Knights and Anaheim Ducks.

Staios was the president (2015) and general manager (2016-22) of the Hamilton Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League prior to joining the Edmonton Oilers as a special adviser for hockey operations in October 2022.

A 12-year NHL veteran as a player, Poulin served as vice president of hockey operations with the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2009-14 and was general manager of the American Hockey League affiliate, the Toronto Marlies. Most recently, he worked at TSN as a hockey analyst.

Bowness joined the Senators in 2022 as assistant general manager after three seasons as the Pittsburgh Penguins' director of professional scouting.