We’ve seen the history.
Mika Zibanejad, Kyle Turris, then Erik Karlsson, all traded in the name of getting something back before the players need a raise on their impending extensions.
The Ottawa Senators have fallen into a similar situation with a few key players this year, and headlining them is Mark Stone. The 26-year-old winger from Winnipeg is scheduled to hit the free agency market this summer, and if the Sens won’t be able to pony up the salary that he’ll be commanding, February could possibly mark the last month that we’ll be seeing Stone in a Sens jerseys.