Report: Sens aggressively pursued Duchene, but deal isn't close

Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion has been aggressively trying to acquire Colorado Avalanche forward Matt Duchene, sources told Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.

While Ottawa's apparently one of the most interested teams in the league, the two sides aren't believed to be close to a deal, Garrioch reports.

Duchene has been on the trading block for well over a year, and showed up to Avalanche training camp last week despite reports indicating both he and GM Joe Sakic are committed to working out a deal.

The 26-year-old is coming off a down year in which he only recorded 41 points in 77 contests, but through eight seasons in Denver, he's averaged a respectable 0.73 points per game.

If the Senators and Avalanche did manage to orchestrate a trade, it would be a huge boost to Ottawa's offensive depth, especially considering lingering injuries to key contributors Erik Karlsson, Derick Brassard, Clarke MacArthur, and, most recently, Colin White.