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The Senators were in on numerous big-name players earlier this off-season, but some moves didn’t make sense in the end. However, that doesn’t mean Ottawa is done making changes.

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“It’s a unique off-season, I think, with a lot of the big moves, the offer sheets,” Staios said. “So, I think there could be a secondary push here that we’re going to stay close to.

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“On the surface, do we have a pure sniper? I think everybody’s sort of looking at that … You’d love to add that.”

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As it stands right now, the Senators have six defencemen signed to one-way tickets for 2026-27. There’s room for another blue liner on the NHL squad, and the next best defencemen in the system, by far, is 20-year-old Carter Yakemchuk.

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After one year of pro hockey, the vast majority of it spent with Belleville of the American Hockey League, is it time to promote the young man?

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“It’ll be up to Carter and his development,” Staios said. “I think that we’ve done right by him and he’s done right by putting in the work. Being in Belleville, for him, was a great first step of pro hockey.

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“He played in all situations and played a ton of hockey. And that, to me, is a stepping stone to be able to come up and play full time.”

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Yakemchuk had 40 points (10 goals, 30 assists) and a minus-31 rating in 54 AHL games in 2025-26. When he was called up to the NHL, he had multiple dazzling performances.

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“Are there going to be bumps in the road?” Staios asked, rhetorically. “I think with a player like Carter, who’s so dynamic offensively, he really has things that you can’t teach, and I think that’s what we’re so excited about. But there’s other areas in the game. It’s a very difficult league for a young player to maintain that elevated play and we’ll be understanding and patient.”

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Staios says he’ll “keep an eye” on whether the organization will have to add an NHL defenceman if Yakemchuk isn’t ready by October. He notes that Samuel Bolduc, Cameron Crotty and Jorian Donovan remain possible callups and there is “unrealized depth” in Hoyt Stanley preparing for his first full pro season.

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Staios kept his cards close to his chest when giving an update on two core players, Drake Batherson and Artem Zub, who can be signed to lengthy contract extensions as of a couple weeks ago.

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“Certainly, there’s been discussions, I could say that,” Staios offered up. “And those two players are players that I really like, and I think fit into our team.”

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Batherson, who scored a career-high 33 goals in 2025-26, is entering the final season of a six-year contract that holds an average annual value of $4.975 million, largely regarded as one of the best bargains across the league. The 28-year-old was led Ottawa with four points (three goals, one assist) during the playoffs.

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Zub, 30, is just as important to the Senators’ success, playing with Jake Sanderson on the team’s top pairing. He has one year remaining on a four-year deal with an AAV of $4.6 million

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Staios admits that the general landscape with impact players has been altered, noting the shocking five-year, $90 million offer sheet that the Philadelphia Flyers sent to Leo Carlsson on July 3.

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“As far as the market, it’s changed, it’s shifted, but we’re well-prepared to be able to manage that,” Staios said.

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Elsewhere, Staios says goaltender Samuel Ersson, who was acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs and subsequently signed to a two-year deal this summer, is “at the age where he can take another step in his game.

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As for 23-year-old Leevi Merilainen and whether the Senators will have to put him on waivers to start the season, Staios believes “there’s a way to keep three (goalies).”

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When asked about whether the Senators would replace assistant coach Daniel Alfredsson, who joined the Maple Leafs on July 7, Staios said he’s “very comfortable with what we have.”

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