(UPDATE 2:46 PM)- They did it. They actually fucking did it. Feel like I’ve used that one before. Mark Stone is on is way to the Vegas Golden Knights. The dismantling of the Ottawa Senators is complete.
It sort of feels like we’ve been living one long Trade Deadline Day for the last couple weeks but now the rest of the league can join the fun.
As of today at 3:00 PM, there is a league-wide freeze on trades. And as we’ve learned over the years, General Managers love to procrastinate. It’s one of the most exciting days on the league calendar and it figures to be a wild one for Pierre Dorion and the Ottawa Senators.
Dorion has already been one of the busiest GMs in the league this year including two big deals in the last week, sending Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel to Columbus in separate transactions.
Sounds like he’s just getting warmed up too.
Late yesterday, the Senators announced that both Mikkel Boedker and Cody Ceci would be scratched for precautionary reasons. While both names had been kicked around in the rumour mill over the last couple weeks, it didn’t seem like they had much traction on either player.
Yet with the decision to hold both guys out of the line up on Sunday night, there’s hope.
Dorion is apparently also making trades in his sleep too, as overnight, he sent AHL defenceman Patrick Sieloff to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Brian Gibbons.
Gibbons is expected to join the Senators ahead of their next game in Washington.
And I feel like there’s one more name I’m forgetting here.
Right…MARK STONE.
The heart and soul of the Ottawa Senators, Stone’s fate will be decided today, one way or the other.
The Senators have been pushing hard to get Stone signed to a long-term deal in advance of the deadline but they are running out of time.
Stone remains the most coveted piece for playoff-bound teams heading into the deadline and Dorion can expect to take calls on him all day long. Winnipeg, Nashville, Vegas and Boston are all in the mix. The Florida Panthers made a call. According to some reports, there could be as many as eight teams with legitimate interest in Stone.
Other than that…should be a quiet day in Ottawa.
As always, updates will appear at the top of this post or in the comment section below.
Happy Deadline Day folks!
