Ottawa Senators GM ‘open’ to being a buyer at deadline

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Steve Staios is keeping all options on the table for the National Hockey League trade deadline.

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While the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager would like to see the answers come from within just past the midpoint of the season, he’d be willing to add if he can find a fit to help the Senators in the push to make the playoffs for the first time in eight years.

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With the trade deadline set for March 7, Staios hasn’t ruled out anything with his club in a battle for one of the two wildcard spots in the Eastern Conference.

“Time will tell. We still have some runway leading into the trade deadline so we have some time, but it’s nice to be having these conversations with how the group has performed,” Staios told Postmedia in a one-on-one conversation Tuesday morning

“I’m not only willing but I would be open to adding and doing what we need to do at the right time. Again, I’m watching our depth continue to grow with this group, but I think we’ll find out a little bit more about our group from now until that opportunity comes up.”

Speaking from the UBS Arena in New York before Ottawa faced the Islanders, Staios noted he’s pleased with the way the club has performed with key injuries to the likes of goalie Linus Ullmark, forwards David Perron and Michael Amadio, and defencemen Jacob Bernard-Docker and Travis Hamonic.

He’s been pleased with the approach by head coach Travis Green and his staff with the way they’ve dealt the adversity while also getting the club’s core to take the next step to play defensively.

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“I’m not going to sit here and dwell on injuries because every team has to deal with it because it’s a tough league, and I feel like we’ve been hit quite hard as far as the number of players we have out,” said Staios.

“Part of my job is to look at the roster and see how we can improve. Every general manager makes calls and starts exploring what’s available. This is an important point for us because we’ve emphasized the growth and the attention that we’re putting into Belleville, the American Hockey League and our feeder system.

“When we constructed the roster out of camp, and we had players moving to Belleville, I was very clear to them that you’re not getting cut, you’re going to another extension of our organization and it’s critically important for the development and growth of our group.”

There is no timeline for the return of Ullmark, who hasn’t suited up since Dec. 22, but Staios is confident he’s on the right track in his recovery from a back injury.

“We know he’s progressing so we’re confident in what we’ve put in front of him as far as coming back and putting the rehab program in place,” Staios said. “It’s critically important that you never want to rush this along with any of our players.

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“We want to make sure that once Linus does return he’s going to have no issues moving forward. It’s hard to put a timeline on it, but he is progressing.”

Another player making progress is Perron. He has suited up for only nine games after dealing with a personal issue that kept him out for a lengthy stretch and a back injury that has sidelined him for two months.

But former NHL goalie Jamie McLennan noted on the TSN broadcast a couple of nights ago that getting Perron back will be as good as any trade deadline acquisition Staios could make.

Staios agreed with that assessment because Perron has won a Stanley Cup and can still be a key contributor.

“The competitiveness of this player will not go away and we know that,” Staios said. “He’s a driven individual and we look forward to getting him back because he has a presence. The way he goes about his business and the way he plays the game could have a real impact on our group.”

Staios has been pleased with the progress that captain Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson, Ridly Greig, Shane Pinto, Josh Norris, Thomas Chabot and Jake Sanderson have made under Green.

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Staios, a former defenceman, made a point of mentioning Chabot’s progress on Sunday during a meeting with local media so he was asked to expand on that.

“Thomas is a bit older, but it doesn’t matter what age you are, you can still grow your game,” said Staios, who added the addition of veteran partner Nick Jensen has helped Chabot immensely. “And Thomas has made a commitment on the defensive side of (the game).

“We’ve seen and we’ve marvelled at his skill, his ability to break pucks out, skate around the ice and how smooth he is. But now there’s some substance to his defending as well so he’s made that commitment and his game has grown.”

bgarrioch@postmedia.com

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