Ottawa Senators President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Steve Staios spoke with reporters Saturday morning during his midseason report.
Stajos began his third season in the nation's capital by relaxing some of the expectations around his club while acknowledging the equality of the standings around them.
“We will fight when we are ready to do so,” he told reporters. “I think we will continue to move in this direction… I think we have a good young team that continues to develop.”
The Senators sit in last place in the Atlantic Division with a 19-15-5 record heading into Saturday's matchup against the Winnipeg Jets, despite making the playoffs for the first time since last season in 2016-17.
Ottawa lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs in six games in the first round of its first Battle of Ontario playoff game since 2004.
His tone was slightly different to his first appearance of the season on November 10, when the 52-year-old backed his club amid a slow start, saying he was: “a little surprised (with) our start to be honest… but feels like we're approaching the game in our own way and that's a full credit to the group.”
The Senators dealt with their fair share of injury problems, including losing their captain Brady Tkachuk 20 games early in the season before his return in late November.
Additionally, starting goaltender Linus Ullmark was given a leave of absence on Monday for personal reasons.
Staios also did not provide any information on the starting goalie, and there is no specific timeline for his return to the team.
“Well, Linus knows he has our full support and we will respect his lack of comment on this situation.
“We have complete faith in Linus.”
Ullmark posted a 14-8-5 record this season with a .881 save percentage and 2.95 goals-against average. He was pulled in the second period of the Senators' 7–5 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on December 27 after allowing four goals on 14 shots.
The 32-year-old joined the Senators via trade from the Boston Bruins in June 2024 and signed a four-year, $33 million contract extension in Ottawa last year.
Ullmark was not one of the three goalkeepers included in Sweden's squad for the upcoming 2026 Olympics.
Senators reserve Levi Merilainen has a .872 save percentage and a 3.46 goals-against average in 12 games this season.
