The Senators and Duchene had contract discussions during the season, but he decided not to commit to Ottawa, at least not now. Dorion said Friday that the Senators felt they made a fair offer to Duchene and that his camp informed them that he wouldn't sign about a week ago.
"At the end of the day, for me, it came down to being a hockey decision for me," Duchene said. "Obviously, I think they're going to have an outstanding future over there. They've been very public about the rebuild process and things like that. I just felt at 28 years old, during the season especially, July 1, we'll see what happens and where I'm at then, but during the season it was a huge thing to commit to eight years somewhere where there's still a lot of question marks. The picture may be a little clearer maybe in the summer, so we'll see what happens then."
Dorion said, "From the start, we wanted to keep our core veterans. We've made every effort possible. We've gone to the wall to try and sign them. Today, we need to stay focused on the rebuild. Matt wanted to be part of a contender, and if with us, was possibly going to test free agency. As an organization, we had to get good assets for him. Young players need core veterans around them.
"We feel we have quality veterans in (Cody) Ceci, (Zack) Smith, (Jean-Gabriel) Pageau, (Mark) Borowiecki, (Bobby) Ryan and (Craig) Anderson. We're still working on convincing a few others to stay. However, we have to be prepared for every scenario."
Duchene had 58 points (27 goals, 31 assists) in 50 games for Ottawa this season. He was acquired by the Senators from the Avalanche as part of a three-team trade that included the Nashville Predators on Nov. 5, 2017. Duchene had 49 points (23 goals, 26 assists) in 68 games with the Senators last season following the trade.
Mark Stone and Ryan Dzingel each was a healthy scratch for the Senators on Friday for the second straight game; the two forwards and Duchene were held out of the lineup in a 4-0 loss at the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. Stone and Dzingel can each become a UFA on July 1.
"I was looking at all that stuff," Duchene said. "I don't know what's going on with [Stone]. I have no idea if he's staying or going or what's happening, same with [Dzingel], I'm not sure. But that's some of the uncertainty. I mean, you have two huge pieces there that are up in the air, and when there's big questions like that, again, during the season, you just run out of time in your decision process."
Regarding Stone, Dorion said, "I think we're disappointed in not fielding the best possible team, but at the same time, and this onus is on me, I think we have to find balance in doing what's best for the organization, and at this point in time, he's not playing."
Selected by Colorado in the first round (No. 3) of the 2009 NHL Draft, Duchene has 535 points (228 goals, 307 assists) in 705 regular-season games and six assists in eight Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Columbus also received defenseman Julius Bergman in the trade. The 23-year-old, who was playing with Belleville of the American Hockey League, was a second-round pick (No. 46) by the San Jose Sharks in the 2014 NHL Draft. Bergman was traded to the Senators on June 19, 2018
Abramov, a 20-year-old forward, was selected in the third round (No. 65) of the 2016 NHL Draft. He has 22 points (12 goals, 10 assists) in 52 games with Cleveland of the American Hockey League.
Davidsson, a 21-year-old forward, was chosen in the sixth round (No. 170) of the 2017 NHL Draft. He has 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) with Djurgardens of the Swedish Hockey League.
