Karlsson on his way out?

BUFFALO — As the Ottawa Senators arrived here Sunday, there was talk of significant changes in the air.

Mired in a skid that has seen the Senators win only one of their last 12 games, absolutely every aspect of the organization has come under the microscope and, as a result, general manager Pierre Dorion has turned up his efforts to make a deal to try to turn his struggling club around.

After a 5-0 loss to the San Jose Sharks Saturday night, the Senators woke up to a report from Hockey Night in Canada that captain Erik Karlsson was among a group of 10 players that has been asked to submit a 10-team ‘No Trade’ list with the NHL trade deadline set for Feb. 26th at 3 p.m. EST.

That group includes Bobby Ryan, Nate Thompson, Mike Hoffman, Derick Brassard, Alex Burrows, Zack Smith, Nate Thompson, Dion Phaneuf and Johnny Oduya. Winger Clarke MacArthur also has one but he was unable to pass the club’s medical in training camp and likely won’t play again.

The indication Sunday was Karlsson, who will be a unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2019, was likely among the players with ‘No Move’ or ‘No Trade’ clauses that was asked to give their lists to the Senators in September.

This is a common practice but it also could be the first time the Senators have gone this route with Karlsson since he signed a six-year extension that will pay him $6.5 million per-season through 2018-19.

Under the terms of the contract, Karlsson had 48 hours to submit the list once the request was made. The list is valid for this season which means he’d have to resubmit again next year if the request is made again.

Trade Karlsson? He is a unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2019 and there’s been plenty of speculation of late about what route the Senators should take here.

It seems highly improbable, and in the report by Hockey Night’s Elliotte Friedeman on Saturday night during the second intermission he indicated he didn’t really expect it to happen but with the Senators taking such a sideways turn why wouldn’t Dorion keep all options on the table?

The reality is, though, it doesn’t make sense to deal the club’s best player — especially during the season —when teams aren’t going to offer the required assets to make it feasible for the organization.

Two league sources insisted Sunday Karlsson hasn’t been offered around the league or even discussed for that matter.

Yes, Karlsson’s comments in Brooklyn 1o days ago ruffled a few feathers in the organization because he told reporters he’ll only accept what he’s worth in negotiations, but he has since backed off and indicated his top priority is to stay in Ottawa.

The plan is for Dorion to sit down with Karlsson on July 1 next summer to see if the organization can get a long-term extension in place and if the two sides are diametrically opposed then, perhaps, they explore the trade route.

But that doesn’t rule out the possibility of Dorion making a deal in the coming days.

He isn’t prepared to speak to the media just yet but he’s been doing a lot of talking on the phone and with the Christmas roster freeze set for Dec. 19, there is a time crunch if he wants to shake things up now.

Like everybody else in the city, the belief is Dorion is frustrated with the way several players on the roster are performing and league sources indicated Sunday he’s held talks with several teams to see what’s available.

Smith has been a hot commodity in the past, he’s likely not going to bring much return with only one goal in his last 20 games. League executives say the three best options — that will bring return — are Hoffman, centre Jean-Gabriel Pageau and defenceman Cody Ceci.

Given the fact the Senators have fallen so far it would be hard to believe there are any untouchables and you’d have to think teams with playoff aspirations would at least study the option of centre Derick Brassard, who steps up at that time of year.

If Dorion is going to make a trade, though, it doesn’t make sense to do a small deal because if the point is to send a message to a struggling dressing room then it’s got to be something that strikes at the core of the team.