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DeMelo played mostly with Chabot last season when he arrived in a deal with the San Jose Sharks for Erik Karlsson. Much was made of the fact DeMelo’s role might be slipping when he was moved to play in the pairing with Borowiecki, but that’s hardly been the case and both have stepped up this season to earn more ice time.

“Anytime, in any good partnership, usually each individual plays their game to the best of their abilities and that usually means you’ll have a good partnership,” DeMelo said. “We’ve done a good job collectively, and individually, of playing hard and playing for each other.”

DeMelo noted both players will be unrestricted free agents on July 1 and they’re playing for the futures either in Ottawa or in the league. If they aren’t signed here then they’ll be moved at the February trade deadline and then try to cash in on July 1 when free agency begins.

Both are playing with something to prove and it could pay dividends down the road.

“We both know this is a really big year for us and we’re taking that challenge and we’re making the most of it,” DeMelo said. “For me, (Borowiecki) plays such an aggressive style with how competitive he is, how hard he plays and the best part of his game right now is that he’s pitching in some offence and that’s great to see.

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“He’s using his feet and shooting a lot. I just try to do what I do by just playing solid, reliable hockey and kind of contribute when I can. Both of us playing really well individually. Now that we’ve been together a long time, we know a little bit about our tendencies and we’re both easy guys to play with because we keep the game simple.