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This would not have come as surprising news if it came this Sunday night, because all indications for weeks now have been that Matt Duchene was going to be traded before the deadline. However, it appears as if he won’t even be able to play on Thursday, Friday, or Sunday, as the Senators will rightfully sit him out in order to make sure that he stays healthy:
On Saturday I discussed how Pierre Dorion was playing a dangerous game by keeping Duchene, Stone, and Dzingel in the lineup, so at least he is being cautious and recognizes that he can’t afford to mangle the Duchene trade return. With him sitting out, it’s almost a certainty that Monday night against the Chicago Blackhawks was his last game as an Ottawa Senator. Boy, the second half of that sentence has become a common phrase in the past year and a half.
He will finish his Senators tenure with 107 points in 118 games (averaging 73 points per season), which is better than I thought he would be, considering his previous career high in points was 70. This season he was phenomenal with 58 points in 50 games, being even better than advertised. It’s a shame that it has to end this way, because if he was a part of a winning team and was willing to re-sign, the trade to acquire him would have been worth it. However, the team around him has been horrendous, meaning the 1st round pick that will be given up is simply too valuable.
As for what this news means regarding Mark Stone and Ryan Dzingel, it’s unclear as of now. There are reports that the Senators are trying their hardest to re-sign Stone, and that makes the most sense:
However, time is running out, and they will have to know if it’s possible or not in the next few days, and honestly, I’m surprised that hasn’t been resolved one way or the other. There’s a chance that they could sit out Stone for Sunday’s game if they know they can’t re-sign him, but the fact that he should be playing tomorrow is not a bad sign. There hasn’t been much focus on Dzingel, but I can definitely see him not playing, as he is less likely than Stone to re-sign. The market for him obviously isn’t as robust, but he could still net the Senators a decent return.
It’s the right move to keep Duchene on the sidelines, even if it must be tough for him to go through, especially since he dealt with trade rumours for over a year in Colorado. I’m hoping that he can be moved as soon as possible to avoid more awkwardness with the team, because his teammates aren’t dumb and they know what’s going on. I would expect a trade with Nashville, Winnipeg, Calgary, New York, or Vegas within the next two days.
Duchene will represent something pretty interesting for the Senators fanbase: the last time they had genuine hope for their team.
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