The Ottawa Senators haven’t made many good decisions over the past few seasons. But their call not to use Mark Stone, Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel on Thursday night was the right move.

Thursday’s road game against the New Jersey Devils meant nothing to the Senators. Possibly trading those three players means everything to the franchise.

No reason to risk injury. No scout needs to see them one last time.

The only time a team shouldn't sit a potential deadline day trade subject is when it is fighting for a playoff spot. That's why Micheal Ferland, a prime rental, will stay in the lineup for the Carolina Hurricanes.

The integrity of the game argument for these situations became moot when the NHL trade deadline evolved into one of the most important traditions. No other sports league has a trade deadline tradition quite like the NHL’s.

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