McKenzie makes stunning comments regarding the future of Mark Stone & Matt Duchene.

For a while it looked like there might be some hope that the Ottawa Senators would retain their top two offensive players, but those hopes may have evaporated since then. 

In a recent interview on TSN 1200 radio in Ottawa TSN National Hockey League insider Bob McKenzie made some rather surprising comments regarding the organizations top forwards. McKenzie was asked specifically about the situation surrounding 5 of Ottawa's players, all 5 of whom are currently rumored to be on the trading block, but it was his comments about both Mark Stone and Matt Duchene that will likely leave fans in Ottawa feeling very depressed about the future of their beloved franchise.

Although he did admit that he was only speculating and that he had not heard anything concrete on this front, McKenzie made it clear that it is his belief that both Stone and Duchene are not going to remain in Ottawa beyond the 2019 National Hockey League trade deadline.

"In this business you make educated guesses.... and my sense of it is that I think it's more likely than not that Duchene and Stone get traded."

That is devastating news for a fan base that has not only seen their top star leave within the last year, superstar defenseman Erik Karlsson was traded amidst reports of personal turmoil within the team, but they've also had to watch management mortgage their future for a player that according to McKenzie is likely not to be around a year form now. 

On top of that the team appears ready to give up on arguably it's top home grown talent in Mark Stone, a player that has 22 goals and 29 assists for a total of 51 points in his first 52 games of the 2018 - 2019 NHL regular season. Stone is not only a core part of the team's offense but has also quickly blossomed into a fan favorite in Ottawa and that would just be one more blow to a fan base that has really been put through the ringer by owner Eugene Melnyk as of late.

By the sounds of it the two men won't be the only players on the move either. McKenzie added that he expects Cody Ceci to be gone sooner rather than later.

"I would also be surprised if Ceci doesn't get moved."