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Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion made it clear Tuesday night that captain Erik Karlsson will not be traded at the NHL entry draft in June.

Accompanied by Senators owner Eugene Melnyk at a town hall attended by 300 season ticket holders at the Canadian Tire Centre, Dorion said the “ball will be in Karlsson’s court” when the organization tables him an eight-year contract extension on July 1.

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Karlsson has one year remaining on his contract and the Senators can’t talk about an extension until Canada Day.

Whether the Senators can offer Karlsson what he might receive elsewhere on the open market, however, remains a large question mark.

“You can only go as far as you can go, and we’re going to go as far as we can,” Melnyk said.

Read into that what you want: Karlsson is expected to receive between $10 million and $12 million per season on the open market and the Senators will not be spending to the salary cap next season.