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Erik Karlsson will suit up for his 600th game with the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night at the Canadian Tire Centre.

It’s anybody’s guess whether he’ll play No. 1,000 in the same uniform.

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The Senators’ captain won’t be dealt at trade deadline set for Feb. 26th at 3 p.m., but speaking to CTV Ottawa in an interview aired Wednesday night, owner Eugene Melnyk indicated the club wants to Karlsson to stay in Ottawa.

Melnyk made it clear that GM Pierre Dorion “makes the hockey decisions,” though, the first priority is to keep Karlsson. Melnyk also noted he’ll sit down with Dorion this month for two days of meetings to outline the club’s plan before the trade deadline.

“We all recognize who Erik is and we recognize he’s a franchise player,” Melnyk said. “We’re doing to do everything possible to keep him in Ottawa, but at the end of the day, it’s Erik’s decision and it’s a hockey operations decision. They have to come together.”