Ottawa Senators trade Matt Duchene to Columbus Blue Jackets

Feb. 22 (UPI) -- The Ottawa Senators have traded Matt Duchene to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Columbus also aquired Julius Bergman in the swap, which the teams announced Friday. The Blue Jackets sent the Senators conditional first round picks in the 2019 and 2020 NHL Drafts, right wing Vitaly Abramov and right wing Jonathan Davidsson in the trade.

"Matt Duchene is an elite player in the National Hockey League and we are extremely excited to bring him to Columbus," Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in a news release.

"He is a tremendous skater, exceptional in the face-off circle and a proven goal scorer and point producer in our league. We believe he is a tremendous fit for our team."

Duchene, 28, has 228 goals and 307 assists in 586 career appearances. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft has 27 goals and 31 assists in 50 games this season.

"When we acquired Matt in November of 2017, we had hoped his addition would drive us to another deep playoff run," Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said.

"Obviously that did not materialize; more than a year ago, we shifted our focus to a proper rebuild of the entire organization."

Dorion said that the Senators wanted Duchene to remain with the franchise and approached him with a long-term contract offer, but it was determined Duchene did not want to be part of the franchise's rebuild.

The Senators face the Blue Jackets at 7 p.m. Friday at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa.