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“It has been an amazing journey here, and it seems like the beginning of something special,” said Deane, an Alberta native and former Calgary Stampeder. “We’ll see. We’ll see how it’s going to go.”

Hopkins, a Texan claimed from the Montreal Alouettes, acknowledged the Redblacks’ impending difficulties in trying to keep this band together, but said he still planned to spend the off-season in Canada for the first time, and in Ottawa.

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“We have a lot of guys that are up and a lot of key guys that are up, so it’s one of those deals where not everybody is going to be here, and I think you need that (continuity) throughout the season, and that’s why we wanted to win this year, all of us together,” Hopkins said.

The big Kahuna of elephants in the Redblacks’ locker-room, though, remains the status of Grey Cup game MVP quarterback Henry Burris.

An assessment of the damage Burris did to his left knee in the pre-game warm-up on Sunday was expected by Thursday, Desjardins said. Burris, who will turn 42 before the 2017 season starts, wasn’t part of Wednesday’s locker-room media session, but had told fans attending the Lansdowne Park rally on Tuesday he would likely require surgery.

Burris also has repeatedly indicated his intention to discuss his football future, or lack thereof, with wife Nicole and sons Armand and Barron. His suggested timeline hints at discussions with the Redblacks in the new year.

Photo by Tony Caldwell / Postmedia Network

Trevor Harris, who twice replaced Burris as starting QB in 2016 — initially because of a disabling finger injury and later because Burris was struggling with the lingering hand problem — and nearly did so again on Sunday, was signed to a two-year contract last February on the premise he would back up Burris this year and become No. 1 in 2017.