Stone brutally replies to reporter who claims he wants out of Ottawa!

When you thought things couldn't get uglier in Ottawa, well, guess what? They sure can. However, star forward Mark Stone managed to bring some reassuring news to the fan base on Wednesday, stating he wants to remain a Senator. 

Stone was quick to deny a report from TVA Sports' Louis Jean on Tuesday that he doesn’t want to play in Ottawa anymore because he isn’t happy with the direction of the team.

"That's it, Mark Stone does not want to be in Ottawa anymore. He does not want to play in Ottawa anymore. He's frustrated because he sees where the club is going. The team is unable to retain its good players," explained Jean, as translated from French. 

"I've never heard of Louis Jean before, so I don't know where he could have found this information out," Stone told reporters ahead of Wednesday night's preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Canadian Tire Centre. "I love it here.

"This has been a great month for me. I've enjoyed my previous four years here and I want to continue to be here, so again – [I] don't know who Louis Jean is and never once did I ever say that." 

Stone is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer and has been mentioned in potential trade chatter amid the team’s commitment to a rebuild and the recent trade of captain Erik Karlsson to the San Jose Sharks. He agreed to a one-year contract worth US$7.35 million at the beginning of August. Stone’s deal came just as the Senators and the restricted free agent were set to have a hearing to determine the player’s contract for the 2018-19 season.

The 26-year-old forward tied for the Senators’ lead with 62 points in just 58 games in a lost 2017-18 campaign as the club stumbled to a 30th-place finish. Stone has scored at least 20 goals in each of his four full NHL seasons, and registered a career-high 42 assists last year.

"We’re happy to have Mark under contract,” Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said on the team’s Twitter account at the time of the signing. “Mark is a great leader in every sense; a character person, passionate competitor and a talented two-way player. Signing him is the first step in a process that allows us to continue to negotiate a long-term deal in the new year.”

Matt Duchene is also eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, however, during the press conference following Karlsson's trade, Dorion mentioned he was confident both forwards would stick around for the rebuild. 

That answer is surely more reassuring than this one: