Pending free agent Duchene waiting on Karlsson, Stone resolutions
If Matt Duchene is to re-sign with the Ottawa Senators, it could depend on two of his teammates landing contract extensions of their own.
Duchene can become an unrestricted free agent next offseason, but the 27-year-old is keeping an eye on forward Mark Stone's and captain Erik Karlsson's futures in Ottawa to help decide whether he'll stick with the Senators.
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"Those are the things I want to sit back and watch," Duchene told NHL.com's Dan Rosen. "The nice thing is is I'm kind of the last domino in that sense. Those are things I want to see."
Duchene, who is entering the campaign on the final season of a five-year, $30-million pact, could be among the top free agents available next summer should he choose to test the waters.
Like Duchene, both Stone and Karlsson can become unrestricted free agents in 2019. That became a reality for Stone after he agreed to a one-year deal in August ahead of an arbitration hearing, while Karlsson's future in the Canadian capital has been a subject of trade chatter dating back to last season's deadline.
"Erik, that's a little bit different situation, but with (Mark), that's a guy I'd love to move forward with as a teammate," Duchene added. "Him doing a one-year deal, it's a little bit different and makes you think a little bit, but I want to see what he's saying and we'll talk through it.
"Having talked about it, we both really like it in Ottawa and we both want it to work, so that's the biggest thing."