The asking prices for Duchene and Stone
David Pagnotta: If the Ottawa Senators decide to move Mark Stone and/or Matt Duchene the asking prices are sounding similar to the asking price for Artemi Panarin – a first-round pick, a top prospect or young NHL player, and another top-tier asset.
Reasonable trade offers for Duchene and Stone
Eric Duhatschek of The Athletic: A couple reasonable offers to what the Senators could expect to get in return from a potential trade partner.
Matt Duchene to the Winnipeg Jets for first-round pick or a top prospect like Kristian Vesalainen.
Mark Stone to the Calgary Flames for a first-round pick.
Some clarity on the Stone and Duchene could come next week
Chris Nichols of Nichols of Hockey: Bob McKenzie on his Bobcast on the Ottawa Senators pending free agents Mark Stone and Matt Duchene.
“My needle on Stone and Duchene is that they’re not going to sign in Ottawa and they’re going to be traded,” indicated McKenzie. “Now, I guess they could. And I’m sure Ottawa will continue here in the next number of days to try and take a run at that, but I don’t know.
“I think by the time Monday rolls around – two weeks out from the trade deadline – we’re going to have some clarity on the guys in Ottawa.”
TSN: Bob McKenzie on Eugene Melnyk’s statement about the rebuild and the five-years of spending to the cap ceiling.
“Was it a bold declaration of a new mission statement where the Senators will go in a completely different direction of running their team, going from a budget team to a cap team? Or was it really just a public sales pitch to Matt Duchene and Mark Stone to have them stay? Or cynically, Melnyk did this just to put some spin out there to protect the organization just in case Duchene and Stone are on their way out of town.”
McKenzie wonders if Stone and Duchene even believe what Melnyk said.
By next week there should be more clarity on which way the free agents are going.