Pierre Dorion Named Senators GM After Bryan Murray Steps Down to Advisory Role

Bryan Murray stepped down as the Ottawa Senators general manager but will remain in an advisory role, and Pierre Dorion—previously the team's assistant general manager—will assume Murray's previous post, the team announced on Sunday. 

Randy Lee will remain as assistant general manager, though his duties are expected to expand, according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen.

Murray, 73, has Stage 4 colon cancer and had been considering a downsizing of his post with the team for over a year, per Garrioch.

He's had a long career in the NHL as both a general manager and head coach, holding the former post with the Senators, Anaheim Ducks, Florida Panthers and Detroit Red Wings and the latter with the Washington Capitals, Red Wings, Panthers and Senators.

He joined the Sens as the team's head coach before the 2004-05 season and took over as general manager in June 2007.

Dorion, 43, joined the Senators in July 2007 as the team's chief amateur scout. He held that position for two seasons before taking over as director of player personnel. He became an assistant general manager in 2014. He previously had stints as a scout with the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens.

The biggest decision facing Dorion will be the future of head coach Dave Cameron and his staff. Cameron took over in 2014 but couldn't lead the team back to the postseason this year, the second time in the past three seasons that Ottawa failed to qualify for the playoffs.

Bolstering the roster will be vital during Dorion's first offseason, especially in defense, as the team gave up 241 goals in 2015-16, the fifth-most allowed in the NHL. Dorion will look to build a stronger unit around blueliner Erik Karlsson (16 goals, 66 assists), who is one of the NHL's most dynamic defenseman.

You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.