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Is there any turning back on Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson now?

There’s been no shortage of intrigue on the Karlsson trade front in the past few days, including the potential for Bobby Ryan and his colossal contract being involved in a deal, but it sure seems like the Senators have paved the road for his departure.

We best be fully prepared for the post-Karlsson era, whether it starts today, tomorrow or in July.

At this point, it’s a circus, fast becoming a crisis situation for passionate Senators fans, who appear to have reached their breaking point with owner Eugene Melnyk. As the weekend arrived, they were wondering if they had already seen their captain play his final game for the team.

It was a frantic Friday for Senators general manager Pierre Dorion and the number crunchers around him, trying to figure out some fancy financial footwork to get deals done.

The on-again, off-again swap that sent Derick Brassard to the Pittsburgh Penguins for goaltender Filip Gustavsson and Ian Cole was mired in money complications.