“They’re trying.”
It’s something I’ve heard from a couple different sources now. And at this point, it almost goes without saying.
The Ottawa Senators are absolutely in on Matt Duchene. They have been from the beginning. Interest obviously isn’t the same thing as getting a deal done but by all accounts, second year General Manager Pierre Dorion is right in the thick of things in the never-ending Duchene sweepstakes.
But he’s not alone.
Last night, TSN’s Darren Dreger went so far as to call Ottawa one of the favourites, along with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Dreger: “I still feel like Ottawa and the Columbus Blue Jackets are the front-runners” for Duchene. #Avs #Sens #CBJ 1050
— Chris Nichols (@NicholsOnHockey) September 20, 2017
You can listen to the audio of Dreger’s comments here.
It’s pretty amazing how the Senators have gone from the forgotten team in this saga to one of the favourites in a matter of 24 hours. What that suggests is that Pierre Dorion has turned it up a notch in his pursuit. With MacArthur’s status in doubt and Brassard and now Colin White both out to start the season, the Sens need help up front and the GM knows it.
These are precarious times.
While Avs General Manager Joe Sakic has clearly backed himself into a corner here, having multiple teams in the mix still makes it possible to overpay.
There’s no doubting Duchene’s abilities on the ice but his value has decreased as a tradeable asset. The situation in Colorado is clearly a distraction and the Avs need to deal with it as soon as possible. That desperation should put interested teams in a better position.
With that said, with Columbus, Carolina and perhaps Calgary all showing a great deal of interest, it’s pretty difficult to get a firm grasp on the value of Matt Duchene.
To this point, the Senators have shown no interest in moving Thomas Chabot. If they did, I think Colorado would accept pretty quickly. Thankfully, to this point, Pierre Dorion isn’t willing to do that.
So what has to happen for Ottawa to get this done is Sakic has to budge a little bit. And Dorion has to find the right mix of assets to get it done. Something along the lines of an NHL defenceman, a prospect not named Chabot and a high draft pick seems to make sense based on what we’ve heard to this point.
Duchene rumours have been out there for months but you sort of get the sense this is all about to come to a resolution in the not too distant future.
