Senators GM: Stepan hasn't asked for trade

Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion says Derek Stepan hasn't requested a trade.

"No, he hasn't indicated anything along that line to us," Dorion told TSN 1200 when asked if the forward would prefer to play in the United States. "We can tell with our conversations that I've had with him that I think it's only human that ... when you only see your newborn for a day or two that it can be difficult on any type of human being."

Dorion praised Stepan for making an impact with Ottawa in the short time he's been with the team.

"He's given us great minutes, he's (proved) to be a great leader ... The best way to describe it is, when you have so many young players on your team ... young players make mistakes. The last two games ... some mistakes were made by young players, and a guy like Derek Stepan can tell these younger guys, 'Just forget it, be better.' It's almost like having an extra coach out there."

It was reported Saturday that the Senators were trying to move Stepan.

The Arizona Coyotes traded him to the Senators on Dec. 28. The 30-year-old is a U.S. citizen whose wife, Stephanie, gave birth to their third child two days after the Senators acquired him.

Stepan spent the first 10 years of his career with U.S.-based clubs, playing seven seasons with the New York Rangers before being shipped to the Coyotes in 2017.

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