Changes difficult for Senators’ GM Steve Staios, but not impossible

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Steve Staios would like to turn his trade talks into action.

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That’s not easy given the Ottawa Senators’ current situation.

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While the Senators president of hockey operations and general manager has made no secret of the fact he’d like to add some veteran players to help lead this group, making those kinds of changes can be difficult.

The teams that have good, character players — like veteran forward Claude Giroux — want to keep them and the ones that are available usually come with a high price tag attached because they’re so tough to replace.

After removing the interim tag from his title as GM on New Year’s Eve and adding former broadcaster Dave Poulin as the senior vice-president of hockey operations, the Senators have stepped up their efforts to try to bring in a couple of veterans with the halfway point of the season fast approaching.

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As they prepare to face the Calgary Flames on Tuesday at the Saddledome, the Senators have lost three straight on this trip, are 14 points out of the final wild-card spot and are sitting in last place in the Eastern Conference with a 14-21-0 record through 35 games.

The Senators have a better chance of winning the draft lottery right now this spring than they do of making the playoffs. That won’t help matters when Staios is trying to make deals to bring in veteran players because this team needs a miracle to make the post-season.

“A lot of veteran players are thinking about going to a team that’s going to contend for a Stanley Cup, they’re not thinking about going to Ottawa,” a league executive told Postmedia on Monday.

That’s a big hurdle for the Senators to overcome and a lot will depend on what the club is willing to give up to get that type of player.

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The Senators aren’t ready to strike at their young core to make a deal.

There’s still a strong belief the likes of captain Brady Tkachuk, centres Josh Norris and Tim Stutzle, along with Drake Batherson, Thomas Chabot and Jake Sanderson are still the core of this team.

The Senators aren’t convinced they want to give up any of those players and you can be certain those are the guys that rival general managers are asking about when they pick up the phone to chat with Staios.

It makes sense not to over-react to the fact the club is going to miss the playoffs for the seventh straight year and start trying to rebuild the rebuild that the club has been going through since Feb. 2018.

He doesn’t want to make a trade just for the sake of bring a new face into the dressing room. One thing we’ve learned about Staios since he has taken over is that he doesn’t have knee-jerk reactions and he uses a process-driven approach, which means he’s methodical when it comes to moves.

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Staios wants a veteran forward that can play in the top nine and, if possible, the Senators would like to bulk up their right side on defence, but those types of players are difficult to find.

The Senators will see a player Tuesday at the Saddledome that fits the bill for what they want and is available.

The Flames aren’t out of the playoff race by any stretch of the imagination, however, general manager Craig Conroy has to determine whether he wants to be a buyer at the deadline.

Calgary defenceman Chris Tanev, a unrestricted free agent on July 1 who is making $4.5 million this season, has been on the market all season.

By all accounts, the 34-year-old Tanev is a great pro, a leader in the Calgary room and he has been able to carry out a 14-year career because he’s strong defensively and he makes the simple plays to get the job done.

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Would Tanev be a fit for the Senators and help to take some of the pressure off the young players? Of course he would.

It’s not known if he’s even on Staios’ radar screen, but he probably has spoken with just about every team since he took over the GM job in November, so it would make sense to see what the Flames want for Tanev, if you’re looking for veteran.

But Tanev’s a coveted player at this year’s deadline with a ’10-team’ no trade list. It’s not known if the Senators are on that list, but if Ottawa wants to acquire him, then the club would likely have to sweeten the pot in a deal with the Flames plus send a contract extension Tanev’s way.

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And, the reality is, there’s stiff competition for Tanev and a number of teams have shown interest with the Flames if they decide to move on from him.

Give Staios credit because he’s being aggressive to try to help the Senators while making sure he sends the message to his young core that he still believes they can help this team make the playoffs.

If Staios can find the right fit, he’ll pull the trigger on a deal to help the Senators. The challenge is to try to find a dance partner who’s willing to part with what the organization wants in return.

It’s difficult, but not impossible.

bgarrioch@postmedia.com

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