After the week that was, it’s time for the Ottawa Senators to seriously consider joining the Matt Duchene sweepstakes.
In one sense, it was a great run for the Senators, picking up seven of eight points last week, gaining considerable ground on every team they’re fighting with to secure a playoff spot.
From another perspective, it was an awful stretch, losing considerable skill and a loud dressing room voice when Clarke MacArthur wasn’t cleared to return for the rest of the season because of lingering post-concussion symptoms.
Yet when you add those two factors together — and let’s throw in captain Erik Karlsson’s long-term future, for good measure — it makes sense for general manager Pierre Dorion to take a hard look at trading for Duchene before the March 1 trade deadline.