Armed with a brand-new extension, Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion made some waves during his celebratory press conference with a bold proclamation.

"The rebuild is done. Now we're stepping into another zone," Dorion said, according to the Ottawa Sun's Bruce Garrioch.

The Senators caught fire toward the end of a 2020-21 campaign that saw them employ a revolving door of injured goaltenders. They secured 30 points in their last 25 games and went 16-13-4 after an abysmal January and February. The Sens were rewarded for their efforts with a sixth-place finish in the realigned North Division – decidedly not last.

"We've had a plan since we started this rebuild. I feel that we're in the next stage now, it's time to start to win," he said, according to TSN 1200 Ottawa.

"The next step for us is not to take anything for granted," Dorion added. "Last year, we felt we were a team that was hard to play against, but now it's time to challenge to get two points every night, be in every game. Games that maybe you got a point last year, you need two this year."