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Ottawa general manager Pierre Dorion and Toronto GM Kyle Dubas were seen holding talks on the draft floor last Friday at Rogers Place in Vancouver and apparently this deal has been in the works for a while.

The Leafs put Zaitsev to market at the end of the season because he demanded a trade. Ottawa coach D.J. Smith was an assistant on Mike Babcock’s staff in Toronto and worked with the 27-year-old Zaitsev the past three seasons. If he wants to go somewhere where the head coach is aware of his capabilities, then the Senators make sense.

Photo by Ernest Doroszuk / Postmedia

TSN’s Darren Dreger reported Ottawa was on Zaitsev’s no-trade list, but he may be willing to waive that to play for Smith.

Smith has stated several times he’s “going to have the players’ backs”, and when Zaitsev is at his best he’s a strong defender. That’s what the Senators need, and if Zaitsev has Smith’s trust, then that would be a big reason why Dorion would be willing to make this deal. The coach has got to be comfortable with the players he puts on the ice.

The fact the Senators are moving on from Ceci is an indication the two sides aren’t even in the same ballpark in talks, and that spurred these trade discussions. After making $4.3 million last season on a one-year deal he was awarded in arbitration, it’s believed Ceci’s camp is looking for a five- or six-year term in the range of $5 million to $5.5 million.

The Senators have indicated that if they weren’t able to get Ceci signed to a new deal, then they had no interest in going back to arbitration with him again this summer. They spoke with one team at last year’s trade deadline that pulled out at the last second. Ideally, the Senators want a four-year term in the $4.5-million range.

A change of scenery may not be the worst thing to happen to the 25-year-old Ceci. Born and raised in Ottawa, the former 67’s defenceman, the No. 15 overall pick in the 2012 NHL draft by the Senators, has become a lightning rod for criticism on social media because of mistakes, but he has played some big minutes for the club.