Odds Say Senators Trade Mark Stone & Matt Duchene Before Deadline
- The Ottawa Senators are in last place in the NHL with just 47 points
- Mark Stone and Matt Duchene could fetch a valuable return if traded
- Will either be traded before the deadline?
No matter what this team tries, they can’t seem to move out of second gear. With that said, welcome to Groundhog Day 2019 in Ottawa.
Tis the time of the season once again to move pieces for assets. It’s a grand old tradition in Ottawa and this year they have two top contenders to move before the February 25th NHL Trade Deadline.
Odds Mark Stone is Traded
| Will Ottawa trade Mark Stone before Feb 25? | Odds |
|---|---|
| Yes | -140 |
| No | +100 |
*All odds taken 2/12
Odds Matt Duchene is Traded
| Will Ottawa trade Matt Duchene before Feb 25? | Odds |
|---|---|
| Yes | -180 |
| No | +140 |
Why they’ll move
Mark Stone currently leads the Senators (as of the writing of this article) with 56 points, while Matt Duchene follows closely behind in second on the roster with 53. The two are also tied for the goal lead on the team with 25 apiece.
On top of that, they will also both be unrestricted free agents at the conclusion of the season. The NHL’s Trade Deadline on Monday, February 25th may be a great day for the future of hockey in Ottawa.
Ottawa #Senators are reportedly set to engage in serious trade talks for Matt Duchene this week.
Duchene’s agent reportedly met with Pierre Dorion last week and there is concern from Duchene and his camp about the long term plan in Ottawa. pic.twitter.com/30KYF4MER3
— Off The Clock Sports? (@offclockpodcast) February 10, 2019
Now, it wouldn’t be fair to only look at one side of the coin here, so is there a chance that one or both of them stay put? The answer to that is simple – it’s highly unlikely!
We’ll leave a little room for error there, but the Ottawa Senators have been tiptoeing around a full rebuild for some time. They’ve opted for the veteran/youth mix route, a path that seldom leads to success, and guess what they’ve found?
Given both Stone and Duchene are on the latter side of their 20’s, they are still two quality building blocks. If the market suggests that you can get high-round draft talent in exchange for their services, well, you’d have to be crazy to not look twice at any and every deal.
Dorion’s Trade Deadline History #Senators https://t.co/5OG3eqkDVu pic.twitter.com/nBGUcBZadl
— Senators Report (@senators_fanly) February 8, 2019
Dissecting history
Look back at the Sens trade history from the past few years and you can tell that Pierre Dorion isn’t afraid to acquire pieces and picks. His downfall has been that he keeps doing the same thing. They need to pick a route and stick with it. Do you want players for the future or picks for your future?
If the team wants to fully commit to a youth movement, then you can wave goodbye to Stone and Duchene. At the very least, the team can hope that they’ll each be rentals and would like to return to Canada’s capital at the end of the year. The odds are extremely low that will pan out, but Pierre can dare to dream.
Is it worth betting NO?
To quote Del Griffith from Planes, Trains and Automobiles, “If they told you wolverines make nice house pets, would you believe them?”
In other words, if somebody thinks Ottawa is going to keep two studs just so they can walk away for nothing, they’re nuts.
The Sens are the worst team in the league and have two trade pieces. Enough said.
Our NHL Trade Deadline Coverage:
Ryan is what you call a seasoned vet. It's been nearly 13 years and he has hosted three sports radio talk shows, two football television shows, two sports podcasts, released his first book in 2012, had his own ESPN E:60 documentary shot, and was the first inductee to ESPN's Hall of Fans.
