Travis Green signs Senators extension through 2030-31

Green still had time left on his original deal, so this wasn't a contract running out on him. Staios just didn't want to wait.

Pierre LeBrun

@PierreVLeBrun

Green was in Year 3 of a four-year contract so this is a nice early extension for him.

Julian McKenzie

@jkamckenzie

Travis Green and his assistants (Ben Sexton, Justin Peters, Mike Yeo and Nolan Baumgartner) have all been signed to multi-year contract extensions. Green’s contract extension will run until the 2030-31 season. #Sens.

That's the real story. Green was hired on May 7, 2024, and took the Senators to the playoffs in each of his first 2 seasons. For a franchise that spent most of a decade selling hope and losing hockey games, that counts for a lot. Staios told reporters the extension became a priority as he watched "our team develop," and said it brings stability behind the bench and across the organization. The deal also covers the whole staff: assistants Nolan Baumgartner, Ben Sexton and Mike Yeo, plus goalie coach Justin Peters, all signed multi-year extensions too.

Green made it sound like the easiest call of his life. He has been in Ottawa 2 years, likes the room and likes the city, and he isn't pretending otherwise.

Claire Hanna

@clahanna

Green added how much he enjoys the team and the City of Ottawa: “Two years now. I love living here. I love the city, I love the team and I want to win. For me it was an easy decision.” #Sens

The timing makes it even more interesting. This is the first season in years without Brady Tkachuk wearing the C, after Ottawa traded him to Florida on June 21. Giving the coach term right after moving the face of the franchise is the front office saying plainly that Green is the guy steering whatever comes next. The Panthers are in Ottawa on Wednesday, too, so the Tkachuk storyline isn't going away this week.

Staios wasn't just handing out compliments, though. He said flat out that "we have a lot of work to do," and then said something you don't usually hear from a GM about his own players on a day meant to celebrate.

Claire Hanna

@clahanna

Staios also said “I think we can all agree and our players would agree, some of them haven’t been at the top of their game. And there’s room for growth.” #Sens

Claire Hanna

@clahanna

Steve Staios says in the short term he’ll see how the #Sens manage without William Eklund before making a move: “We do have depth on forward. We’ll continue to watch the roster as it evolves. Guys are going to get opportunities that they maybe didn’t have.” t.co/IXn0uuI3Hi

He named nobody, but on a team where Thomas Chabot and Jake Sanderson eat the big minutes on the blue line, the fanbase is going to fill in the blanks anyway. Nobody is happy with 6-3-0 being the standard yet. The bigger hit is William Eklund, who's out 10-12 weeks after surgery on a torn tendon in his ankle. Staios isn't rushing to trade for help.

Claire Hanna

@clahanna

Steve Staios says in the short term he’ll see how the #Sens manage without William Eklund before making a move: “We do have depth on forward. We’ll continue to watch the roster as it evolves. Guys are going to get opportunities that they maybe didn’t have.”

So that's the job in front of Green with his new deal: survive a winter without Eklund, find out which depth forwards can handle bigger roles, and get the guys Staios called out back to their best. He's 2-for-2 on playoff trips, and Ottawa just bet 5 more seasons that he can keep doing it.