Rumors began to bubble to the surface Tuesday night that the Ottawa Senators were opting to sit Matt Duchene on Thursday against the New Jersey Devils.
Expected to be moved before the NHL's trade deadline Feb. 25 at 3 p.m. ET, TSN's Darren Dreger was the first to report that the Senators will not risk injury to their top trade chip. Duchene will be an unrestricted free agent July 1.
Plan is to not risk injury therefore Duchene
not expected to be in the lineup for the Sens on Thursday. May have played last game with Ottawa. https://t.co/xe6d3QDq9y
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) February 19, 2019
"I haven't thought about it much at all. I'm focused on the task at hand," Duchene told reporters on Monday in Chicago regarding the prospect of being traded.
"If I've said it once I've said it a million times, it's fun to come to work here every day and play with these guys. We have an outstanding group, probably the best group of guys, head to toe, I've ever played with. It's easy to get lost in kind of that togetherness we have."
NHL trade tracker: Rumors, completed deals as deadline nears
On Wednesday in Newark, N.J., head coach Guy Boucher and Duchene both stated that they expect the winger to play on Thursday.
Guy Boucher has received no word on if Duchene will be in or out of the lineup on Thur vs the Devils
— Mike Morreale (@mikemorrealeNHL) February 20, 2019
Matt Duchene says he has NOT been told he is not playing tomorow. He wants to play.
— TSN 1200 (@TSN1200) February 20, 2019
This season Duchene has 58 points (27 goals, 31 assists) in 50 games for Ottawa. Acquired in a three-team deal with Colorado and Nashville in November 2017, he has netted 535 points in 704 career games.
Situated last in the NHL, Ottawa's management has long stressed that the team is in a rebuilding phase. Moving Duchene now makes sense as wingers that can score are a hot commodity. Teams looking for scoring include Nashville, Pittsburgh and Winnipeg. There is also speculation that Duchene is open to a trade-and-sign which could open the door for teams such as Calgary, NY Islanders and Vancouver, who have GMs that tend to shy away from rental players.
The NY Islanders are one of the several teams very interested in Ottawa’s Duchene, and have spoken with the Sens about a potential deal.
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) February 17, 2019
The Ottawa Sun also reported that the Senators are hoping to know if Mark Stone will re-sign with the team in the next 48 hours. If not, expect the veteran to be moved as well.
Between now and the trade deadline, Ottawa takes on the Devils in New Jersey Thursday, faces the Blue Jackets at home Friday night and hosts the Flames on Sunday.