TORONTO, ON -- Ottawa Senators General Manager Pierre Dorion is going to be extremely busy between now and the Feb. 25 trade deadline, now just under eight weeks away.

The Senators have a number of pieces up for grabs in the trade market, but their primary concerns revolve around the futures of stars Mark Stone and Matt Duchene, and one might outweigh the other.

Both Duchene and Stone are important to the Senators’ franchise, and both players relayed earlier in the season their desires to stay with the club long-term, but Duchene’s future might be a little more pressing given the nature in which he was acquired.

Dorion and his staff have decisions to make, and certainly Duchene and Stone are at the top of the lists – given the amount of work ahead, there’s no mystery as to why Dorion didn’t join the team for its California roadtrip.

Dorion and Duchene’s agent, Los Angeles-based Pat Brisson, haven’t officially spoken in roughly one month. The two have a call scheduled for next week, I’m told, and time is of the essence.