It is no secret that the Ottawa Senators are in the midst of a massive rebuild. Over the past couple of seasons, the Senators have shipped out star players such as Mark Stone and Erik Karlsson to help kickstart their rebuild. Last season, in a trade that saw Ryan Dzingel and a boatload of picks shipped over to Columbus, Anthony Duclair made his way over to Ottawa where he joined the Senators in the nation’s capital. Duclair was not believed to be a major part of the trade, but has since proven just the opposite, becoming arguably the best piece from the deal.
In his brief tenure in Ottawa last season, Duclair impressed with 14 points in 21 games, hinting that a change of scenery was all that the 24-year-old winger needed to find his game. This season, Duclair has picked up right where he left off, scoring 34 points in 51 games. 21 of Duclair’s points have been goals while the other 13 have come as helpers.
While 34 points may not seem like a whole lot, its certainly done the trick for D.J. Smith and the Ottawa Senators. Duclair, a native of Quebec, is currently leading the Ottawa Senators in scoring and was even named to the NHL All-Star Game where he scored a hat trick and added two assists. He managed to put up these numbers during two games played for the Atlantic All-Star Team.
Duclair would surely draw up a lot of interest ahead of the deadline, however, dealing the former Coyote is not a smart move for the rebuilding Senators. The former third-round pick of the New York Rangers is a restricted free agent at the season’s end. While many teams would find it rather scary for a young-leading scorer to become a restricted free agent, the Senators really do not have that much to worry about, especially after this past offseason.
Duclair has not been playing at his current level for very long. His only comparable season was back in 2015-2016 where he recorded 44 points in 81 games. After a strong rookie season in Arizona, Duclair would later fall off the long and bright track he was destined to be headed for.
Now he is finally hitting his stride, however, one good season will likely not be enough for Duclair and his agent to convince the Senators to break the bank for him. Plus, even if Duclair is asking for a lot more than he is worth, the Senators have more than enough cap to come up with a contract which is more than fair.
Despite the monetary aspect, there is another major reason why the Senators should not trade Duclair at the NHL trade deadline. Duclair wants to be an Ottawa Senator. The biggest reason for keeping him is perhaps the most obvious of reasons.
A young potential star wants to be apart of the Senators organization. The Senators have had some trouble with keeping star players interested in playing for the organization due to poor performances as well as team management and Senators ownership with a poor reputation. The fact that despite all of this, Duclair remains committed to the team and wants to be apart of the Senators rebuild is something that management should not take lightly.
A young pending restricted free agent like Duclair publicly announcing his desire to stay with the Senators long-term could catch some eyes around the NHL and would be helpful for attracting free agents in the future. The Senators have a solid group of young players, headlined by Brady Tkachuk and Thomas Chabot with many high-end prospects in the system as well. Duclair signing on with the Senators could help set an example for some of the younger players and prospects within the organization about the kind of potential the team has and could be influential for these prospects to want to remain with the team.
The only reason that the Senators should consider trading Duclair would be if they received an offer too good to refuse. A high-end prospect with a high pick and maybe some added assets could be enough to force the Senators hand, however, a package like that is highly unlikely to be presented to Ottawa. While Duclair is in the midst of a career season, he simply does not have the value amongst the NHL that garnishes a big package trade proposal.
Duclair has not been consistent enough to give him a high value on the NHL trade market. However, that is just starting to change. It would likely cost interested teams too much to acquire Duclair and in the end, it would likely not be worth it. The fact that Anthony Duclair is a restricted free agent at the season’s end could help increase his value as it will give teams looking to sign him the ability to have control over his future.
Signing Anthony Duclair does not ensure that he will be an elite NHL player, however, it helps the Ottawa Senators to improve in more ways than one. Duclair has started to live up to his rising potential in the nation’s capital, although he does not have a handful of star talent surrounding him at the Canadian Tire Centre. Once the Senators prospects start to develop and make their way to the NHL, Duclair will have more talent surrounding him which could result in him playing even better.
He can also be an important presence in the locker room for Ottawa in helping to develop and guide more of the young players as they begin to step into the organization. Overall, when a young, talented restricted free agent expresses his desire publicly to stay with a rebuilding team with a bad reputation around the league, it is hard to come up with a legitimate reason why you wouldn’t hold onto this player.