TRADE TALK SWIRLS AS CLOCK TICKS FOR SENS
Visit to Winnipeg ramps up speculation over players Stone, Duchene and Dzingel
As if there wasn’t enough talk about the Ottawa Senators making a deal with the Winnipeg Jets, the discussions hit another level Friday.
As the Senators prepare to face the Jets on Saturday night at the Bell MTS Centre, there is no shortage of speculation surrounding the futures of alternate captains Mark Stone and Matt Duchene, along with Ryan Dzingel — all of whom would also become unrestricted free agents in the summer.
With the NHL trade deadline set for Feb. 25 at 3 p.m., the trade winds were blowing even harder Friday when Winnipeg general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff showed up at an afternoon practice at Bell MTS Centre and left with Ottawa general manager Pierre Dorion for a chat.
Dorion, assistant GM Peter MacTavish and top pro scout Jim Clark were in town Thursday to take in the Jets’ game against the Colorado Avalanche.
The pre-deadline scouting mission continued Friday night with Dorion, MacTavish and Clark on hand for a game between the Manitoba Moose, Winnipeg’s AHL affiliate, and the Chicago Wolves.
No, this doesn’t mean it’s a certainty all three are being dealt, but the Senators are keeping all their options open. The Jets have been one of the most aggressive teams in their pursuit of all three of Ottawa’s UFAs, but mostly they’ve been pushing for Stone.
The Senators have been trying hard this week to get Stone, Duchene and Dzingel signed to contract extensions, but if those talks fail, Dorion and his staff have to be prepared for any scenario. Decision day is approaching quickly for the trio if they don’t accept new deals.
Ideally, the Jets would like to acquire Stone and it’s not just because he’s from Winnipeg. League executives say Cheveldayoff is a huge fan of Stone’s because he’s one of the best two-way players in the league and would give the Jets some depth upfront.
The issue is they won’t be alone and the asking price will be high. The Vegas Golden Knights are also showing heavy interest in Stone, and if they make a deal they’d likely be interested in getting an extension done. Still, there’s not a contender in the league that wouldn’t mind acquiring Stone.
The belief here is the Jets want a deal for Stone done as soon as possible, and talks have intensified lately to try to make it happen. If the Jets don’t get Stone, then they may turn their attention to Duchene or Dzingel if they haven’t already signed with the Senators.
If the Senators can convince Stone and Duchene to buy into a rebuild, the organization is hopeful it can put the right players around them to get this turned around quickly.
At this point, all options are on the table, but with the clock ticking toward the deadline Dorion has to listen to what teams are ready to give up. The indications are the Senators want three pieces in return and possibly a conditional fourth piece to make any deal for Stone or Duchene a reality.
Jokingly asked if there was anything new Friday, Duchene said: “I wouldn’t tell you if there was.”
But he said going through this process hasn’t been as difficult as it would have been earlier in his career. He admitted he’ll be happy when the deadline has passed, no matter what happens.
“Closure is nice, but at the same time I understand this is part of the process,” said the 28-yearold Duchene. “I’m glad I’m going through it at this age. I’ve been through a lot in this league, ups and downs, successes and failures, and that stuff prepares you for this kind of thing.
“All those things have prepared me to just stay in the moment. I’m not stressed, I’m not anything. It might sound like I’m talking a bunch of BS to you guys, but it’s the truth.”
Duchene said his experience has helped.
“I’ve been through stuff, not quite like this, but some other things like this and didn’t handle it as well as I should have,” Duchene said. “You learn from that and you move forward.
“Mistakes are great things — not mistakes, but handling things the wrong way or making errors — are great chances in life to learn and they’re only bad if you don’t learn from them. Definitely I’ve been through some stuff that has made this a lot easier.”
It’s not easy for anybody watching the twists and turns in this story.