from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun,

A fan base is waiting with bated breath to see what’s going to happen with Stone, Duchene and Dzingel. However, if they’re not going to sign with Ottawa then the Senators can’t lose them for nothing. The organization has to get assets in return.

While the Senators have put their best foot forward to try to keep Stone and Duchene as building blocks during this rebuild, their optimism surrounding the duo is tempered. More discussions are planned before the players and the club make a final decision on what the next move will be.

As for Dzingel, the Senators may decide to try to keep him after learning what Stone and Duchene are going to do, but there’s a good chance the 26-year-old winger will be moved, especially if he’s looking for a long-term deal in the $5.5-to-$6 million range as has been speculated.

At this point, it’s anybody’s guess what may happen and don’t forget anything can change.

But if the Senators do decide to move any of the trio before the deadline then Dorion may want to charge up his cellphone and buy an extra battery or two because there is going to be no shortage of interest from the contenders who want to bulk up for a run to the Stanley Cup in the spring.

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