One way or another, the Ottawa Senators were determined to not watch Matt Duchene depart as an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Ottawa traded away its alternate captain to the Columbus Blue Jackets Friday, but it wasn't the club's first choice. According to general manager Pierre Dorion, the Senators first sought to sign Duchene to an extension.
"Our desire was to have Matt be part of this (rebuild) and as such we approached him with a fair and comprehensive contract offer to remain a Senator for the long term," Dorion said in a club-issued statement.
But with Ottawa sitting last in the league standings, Duchene apparently decided a fresh start was needed, and the Senators quickly pivoted.
"As soon as it was determined that he did not want to be part of our rebuild, we shifted our focus to see what assets we could acquire in exchange for Matt that would help grow our pipeline of potential," Dorion said.
In return for Duchene and AHL defenseman Julius Bergman, the Senators received forward prospects Vitaly Abramov and Jonathan Davidsson, a 2019 protected first-round pick, and a conditional 2020 first-rounder that will convey if Duchene elects to re-sign with the Blue Jackets.
Duchene leaves the Senators having recorded 50 goals and 57 assists in just 118 games.
The fifth-rounder originally belonged to the Buffalo Sabres.
Jensen, 28, has six goals and 37 assists through 190 NHL appearances, all with the Red Wings. He's averaging just under 21 minutes of ice time in 60 games this season and is scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency this summer.
"Nick is a reliable modern-day defenseman who we feel can defend well and log valuable minutes for our club," said Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan. "At 28 years of age, we feel he is just entering his prime."
Selected by the Capitals in the second round in 2013, Bowey has played 84 games for Washington over the past two seasons, tallying one goal and 18 helpers. The 23-year-old blue-liner is averaging 13:45 of ice time through 33 outings this year. He's under contract for $1 million through next season.
Columbus also receives defenseman Julius Bergman from Ottawa.
The 2020 first-rounder will convey if Duchene, an unrestricted free agent this summer, re-signs with Columbus.
Should the Blue Jackets' 2019 pick become a top-three selection during the draft lottery, the Senators will receive Columbus' 2020 first-round pick instead. If that is the case and Duchene also re-signs, the Blue Jackets will send Ottawa their 2021 first-rounder as well.
The prospects the Senators receive are right winger Vitaly Abramov, selected in the third round in 2016, and right winger Jonathan Davidsson, a 2017 sixth-round pick currently playing in the Swedish Hockey League.
Duchene won't have to go far to link up with his new team; Columbus intends to have the center in its lineup for Friday's game in Ottawa.
No sense waiting around...plan is for Duchene to be in the Blue Jackets lineup tonight.
The Blue Jackets have not yet discussed the possibility of an extension with Duchene's camp, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.
Duchene has 58 points (27 goals, 31 assists) through 50 games this season, the last of a five-year, $30-million contract he originally signed with the Colorado Avalanche.
The 28-year-old has 228 goals and 307 assists in 704 regular-season games since the Avalanche selected him No. 3 overall in 2009. The Senators acquired him in November 2017.
With a playoff berth not guaranteed and Edler's contract set to expire at the end of the season, the veteran blue-liner might have garnered outside interest ahead of the Feb. 25 trade deadline. However, his current deal contains a no-trade clause, and both team and player were hoping to continue their long-standing relationship, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
Since being selected No. 91 overall in the 2004 draft, Edler has yet to call another NHL team home. He became the Canucks' longest-tenured player after the retirements of his countrymen Daniel and Henrik Sedin last summer. In 796 regular-season games, the Swede has notched 89 goals and 265 assists.
The 32-year-old has 20 points through 38 appearances this season but has been on the injured reserve for most of February after suffering a concussion against the Philadelphia Flyers on Feb. 4.
McDavid skated into Leddy during the first period of Edmonton's 4-3 overtime victory Thursday, making contact with the defenseman's head just as Leddy released the puck:
McDavid earned a two-minute penalty on the play for an illegal check to the head.
After potting the overtime winner, McDavid didn't shy away from discussing the sequence.
"Obviously, it's not a great check, it's not what I was trying to do," he told reporters after the game, according to TSN. "I was just trying to finish my check on him and he stopped a little earlier than I thought, and maybe I clipped him a little bit too high and that was obviously not the intent at all."
Islanders head coach Barry Trotz confirmed after the game that Leddy had cleared concussion protocol but offered no further comment on the hit, according to Newsday's Andrew Gross.
McDavid has never been suspended in his four-season career. The Oilers' 22-year-old captain has amassed just 88 career penalty minutes to date with no more than 26 in a single campaign.
The Ottawa Senators appear to be readying for a possible fire sale ahead of Monday's trade deadline.
After holding them out from the team's 4-0 blowout loss to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday, the Senators made right winger Mark Stone and center Ryan Dzingel available for trade, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports.
Stone and Dzingel are the Senators' highest-scoring forwards with 62 and 44 points, respectively, after center Matt Duchene (58 points) was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday. Both are scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency this summer.
The loss to New Jersey drops Ottawa to 22-33-5 on the campaign. The Senators rank last in the entire NHL and are on pace to finish the year with their worst points percentage (40.8 percent) since the 1995-96 season.