Quotable: GM Joe on Steve Ott

During Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk's interview at Ticketstock today he also talked about Steve Ott, who is set to be an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Here are a couple of quotes from Nieuwendyk, who is facing the issue of getting Ott signed before the trade deadline or risk losing him in the summer and getting nothing in return.

"I really like Steve Ott and our goal and our intention from day one is to re-sign him. We're working towards that. We're not there yet."

"From my standpoint, I've wanted him to know all along how I feel about him, how I feel he's important to our team's success and how he is a Dallas Star through and through. We talk about those things and he wants to be a Dallas Star. Obviously, the agent is trying to maximize what is best for Steve. That's the way it's gone. It's gone back and forth a little bit. I know time is of the essence here with March 3rd looming. We're going to do what's right for the franchise, taking in some of the financial considerations as well. Yet we realize we'd like to be able to sign a great player like Steve Ott."

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