Career
Before playing in the NHL, Staios played parts of three seasons with the Niagara Falls Thunder and one season with the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), as well as, parts of three seasons with the Peoria Rivermen of the International Hockey League (IHL).
He was drafted 27th overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 1991 NHL entry draft. He never played a game with the Blues and mainly played for their AHL-affiliate Worcester IceCats.
On March 8, 1996, the Blues traded Staios along with Kevin Sawyer to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Steve Leach. On March 21, 1996, Staois made his NHL debut in a 3–1 win against the Ottawa Senators. On October 12, he recorded his first NHL point, assisting on a Adam Oates goal in a 5–3 win against the San Jose Sharks. On December 21, Staios scored his first NHL goal against Jim Carey in a 4–3 win against the Washington Capitals.
On March 18, 1997, the Bruins placed Staios on waivers and he was claimed by the Vancouver Canucks. He played parts of three seasons with the Canucks, scoring 3 goals and recorded 12 assists for 15 points.
After the Atlanta Thrashers entered the NHL, they had an expansion draft. The Canucks left Staios unprotected in it and the Thrashers drafted him on June 25, 1999. On October 6, 2000, the Thrashers made Staios their next team captain. He played parts of two seasons with the Thrashers, scoring 11 goals and recorded 16 assists for 27 points. On June 12, 2000, the Thrashers traded Staios to the New Jersey Devils for a 2000 ninth-round pick. He never played any games with them and was traded back to the Atlanta Thrashers for future consideration on July 10.
On July 12, 2001, Staios signed a multi-year contract to join the Edmonton Oilers. After the NHL went into a lockout, Staios decided to head overseas and sign a contract to play for Luleå HF of the Elitserien. He returned to the Oilers after the lockout ended. He helped the Oilers during the playoffs. They defeated the Detroit Red Wings, San Jose Sharks, and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. They were eventually defeated by the Carolina Hurricanes four games to three in the Final.
On March 3, 2010, the Oilers traded Staios to the Calgary Flames in exchange for Aaron Johnson and a 2011 third-round draft pick. He played parts of two seasons with the Flames.
On September 30, 2011, Staios signed as a one-year contract to join the New York Islanders. On April 5, 2012 Staios played in his 1000th NHL game in a 5–4 win against the Winnipeg Jets. Staios retired from playing professional ice hockey at the end of the season.
Post-retirement
On July 25, 2012, the Toronto Maple Leafs named Staios as their new Player Development Adviser. On December 4, 2014, the Leafs gave him the title of Manager of Player Development. On January 6, 2015, the Leafs promoted him to their interim coaching staff.
On June 5, 2015, Staios left the Leafs to become the president of the Hamilton Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and he also became general manager of the team the next year. After the Bulldogs won the J. Ross Robertson Cup in both 2018 and 2022, the league awarded Staios with the Jim Gregory Award for OHL General Manager of the Year.
On September 29, 2023, the Ottawa Senators named Staios as their President of Hockey Operations. On December 31, he was made the permanent general manager of the Senators.
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