Pending UFAs Duchene, Stone need to make decision on their futures in Ottawa

Ottawa Senators forwards Matt Duchene and Mark Stone remain undecided about testing free agency this summer.

The 28-year-old Duchene will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and understands he'll have to make a decision on his future with Ottawa before the Feb. 25 trade deadline. If he doesn't, they could deal him.

"The biggest thing is, if I don't have an answer for them, I would expect that they'll make a move," Duchene said, according to Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Sun. "You can't really afford to let guys go for nothing anymore in this league, or probably ever; you couldn't do that. I understand that's the situation.

"At the end of the day, I need to be sure of what I'm doing and it's a process right now that I'm evaluating. It's not an easy one because it's the first time I've ever been in this situation. It's really hard to make in mid-season. I'm taking my time, as much time as I have here, and I'll see what happens. But we're not at that point yet."

Stone, also a pending UFA, knows the Senators could give each player a deadline to decide whether or not they intend to re-sign with the team.

"Yeah, for sure, but at the same time it's going to be done privately," Stone said. "I'm not going to do it through (the media)."

Duchene is in his second season with the Senators after being acquired last year from the Colorado Avalanche. Stone, meanwhile, has played his entire five-year career in Ottawa. Both players have the potential to become UFAs for the first time in their respected careers.

Stone and Duchene currently sit first and second in team scoring with 50 and 47 points, respectively.

Copyright (C) 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.