DUCHENE, STONE KEY TO SENATORS’ ON-ICE FORTUNES

Mark Stone and Matt Duchene are expected to wear letters for the Ottawa Senators this season.

Now the Senators need to get them to sign on the dotted line.

As the Senators prepare to open the season against the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday at home, there will be no shortage of focus on the future of the club’s top two forwards because both are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents on July 1, 2019, and they’ll both be big chips at the trade deadline.

The possibility exists one or both may stay with the Senators.

The Senators are in rebuilding mode and they haven’t had any formal contract talks with Duchene’s camp, but it’s fair to say general manager Pierre Dorion has a pretty good idea what the slick centre is going to want on a long-term deal, which means it won’t be long before these contract talks get serious.

As for Stone, he agreed on a one-year, US$7.35-million contract so he could avoid arbitration in August and once Jan. 1 rolls around, the Senators can formally begin talks on a longterm contract. The two sides had talks all summer and weren’t very far apart when they agreed to put the discussions aside for a one-year deal.

With the Senators looking to the future, Duchene and Stone are both viewed as the centrepieces of this rebuild because if they stay then the winning solution may not be as far away as everybody thinks it is. They haven’t discussed the possibility that if one stays the other will as well, but this scenario will be interesting to watch.

Until one or both are signed, there will be no shortage of talk about either player heading into February’s trade deadline.

OFF THE GLASS

There is speculation about who will be the first coach fired, but who is going to be the first hired?

After being let go in April by the New York Rangers, it’s hard to believe Alain Vigneault will be sitting at home as the season gets underway. He was a top candidate for the Dallas Stars’ coaching job, but they opted to go with rookie Jim Montgomery. You have to think that’s not going to be the case all year because several bench bosses are on the hot seat, including Chicago’s Joel Quenneville and Anaheim’s Randy Carlyle ... The Columbus Blue Jackets have their own issues with Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky, due to become unrestricted free agents next summer, showing no signs of sticking around. The Jackets are going to have a decision to make at the trade deadline, but if they’re in a playoff position, then it’s doubtful Columbus will deal either player. That’s a situation to watch all season. Losing defenceman Seth Jones to injury for six weeks won’t make the task any easier ... The Edmonton Oilers left for Europe over the weekend and they’ll open the season against the New Jersey Devils Saturday in Gothenburg, Sweden, after a stopover in Cologne, Germany. From Europe, the Oilers will head for stops in Boston, New York and Winnipeg on the way home. That’s a difficult start for a team that’s under pressure to make the playoffs.

AROUND THE BOARDS

Anaheim Ducks general manager Bob Murray will be feeling the heat to go shopping after the club lost forward Corey Perry for an extended period with a knee injury. The Ducks will try to find the solutions from within because that’s their only choice at the moment, but if they don’t get off to the kind of start people expect, then don’t be surprised if Murray decides to try to add ... After acquiring defenceman Erik Karlsson from the Senators before the season got underway, don’t think for a second that San Jose general manager Doug Wilson is done. He wants to win a Stanley Cup badly and thinks the club is in a good position to do that this season. But he thinks the Sharks may need another forward to make that happen ... Speaking of Karlsson, the Vegas Golden Knights are believed to be among the teams that pushed to make a deal right up until the end, along with the Stars. The Knights thought they had a real shot at getting Karlsson and general manager George McPhee likely wasn’t happy to see the two-time Norris Trophy winner go to a division rival. It’s believed the Jackets and Canucks called on Karlsson as well, but neither had the right fit to make a deal ... The Leafs haven’t shown any interest in dealing restricted free-agent forward William Nylander, which means they’re determined to get him signed. You have to think the Leafs are going to get Nylander back at some point and it seems like a two-year bridge deal is the most plausible solution to make sure this gets resolved.

Enjoy the hockey season. It’s going to be exciting.