The Ottawa Senators are going to need an answer at some point. Matt Duchene understands that, but it doesn’t mean he’s going to feel pressured into making one before his time is up. The pending unrestricted free agent forward spoke to reporters including Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia today, and explained that whether he re-signs in Ottawa or tests the market, the decision will be based on where he thinks he can win.
We’ve been talking, my agent and I have been talking, and, like I said, at the end of the day it’s going to be a hockey decision. I see certain things on TV or in the media and I laugh because I have no idea where they’re coming from.
It’s pretty simple right now. We’re talking about it, we’re looking at it from a hockey perspective and we’ll go from there.
On the latest edition of TSN’s Insider Trading, Bob McKenzie reiterated that nothing has changed between Duchene’s camp and Senators GM Pierre Dorion. The two sides are set to speak again in the next few days, but McKenzie points out how saturated the rental market will be if both Duchene and fellow Senators forward Mark Stone become available. A team that would be interested in both players according to panelist Darren Dreger is the Winnipeg Jets, who have been searching for more forward help throughout the season. Stone, Dreger notes, is from Winnipeg and could be a huge addition for their Stanley Cup run.
But with Duchene, a decision has to be made in the next few weeks in order to give the Senators time to put together a trade if it comes to that. The 28-year old center would be quite an addition for any team looking to contend this season given his outstanding production—47 points in 41 games—but his lack of playoff experience might come as a red flag. Duchene has suited up for just eight playoff contests in his entire career and just two since his rookie season in 2010.
There is now just over three weeks until the February trade deadline, and the Senators are still holding up a good portion of the market with Duchene and Stone. Though defensemen may now have a price set thanks to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ acquisition of Jake Muzzin, the forward market is still unclear. Teams aren’t going to want to spend all of their assets on a lesser player just to find out that Duchene and Stone are available, meaning we may not see a ton of movement until the Senators come to a conclusion. That decision rests on Duchene as far as his future is concerned, and he clearly hasn’t made it yet.
Ottawa is better off just giving him whatever he wants then letting him walk for nothing or getting a small amount for him. When they could have just traded turris for a 1st, instead of potentially giving up jack Hughes for a year and 3/4 of duchene on a bad team
Nobody saw them falling off so hard. The 1st rounder wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near the top of the draft.
@bigdaddyt you have to remember as crazy as it sounds Ottawa was 1 goal away from the ’17 final. They thought they were getting a piece to put them over the top
no but it wasn’t going to be anywhere near the bottom either. this was just a poor decision on Dorion and Melnyk period. They thought the team was a Stanley cup contender based on the previous year and just needed a jolt but in reality the club was closer to the middle of the NHL and had a “magical run”. The best thing for them to do is trade for future assets and ideally give teams an extension window now. Keeping him makes little sense as he has demonstrated he doesnt want to be in ottawa and they are 2-3 years away from simply competing for a playoff spot
But when you’re one goal from the cup with a similar team you’re going to want to make improvements to get there.
True, but they failed miserably in not giving up the 2018 pick and then trading Karlson anyway. You only keep that pick if you think you’ll be competitive and the 2019 pick brings you lesser talent, but to defer that pick and then make trades throwing in the towel was pure stupidity.
They got Brady Tkachuk….
Yes a very good piece but will he be a franchise piece like Hughes?
Were they really going to bet Tkachuk on a 20% chance (at best) for Hughes?
The top three will all be better, so yes they should’ve kept the pick.
I agree with polish hammer.
tkachuk is good but not a franchise altering player. you take the chance because knowing they were trading Karlsson, you need to fill that void for the future.