The Mile High Monster.
Number nine for the Colorado Avalanche was one of many fallen stars in a dark season for the Avs, even in a down year statistically. Alec Avedissian gives his take on the situation that Duchene and the Colorado brass are in.
As we are all aware, the Colorado Avalanche have come off the heels of a historically bad season. The Avalanche finished the regular season with a 22–56–4 record good for 48 points, dead last in the NHL with a 21-point gap between themselves and the 2nd last place team the Vancouver Canucks. As a matter of fact, Colorado finished with the worst regular season of the salary cap era.
When a team performs this poorly, changes are bound to be made. The most talked about option over the past six months seems to focus on the team trading away fan favourite and lifelong Avalanche supporter Matt Duchene.
Duchene is a 26 year old centre. He is an incredibly talented two-way playmaker. He also happens to be one of the most explosive skaters in the league, yet is equally willing to go to the dirty areas on the ice to score goals. He has been a core member of the Avalanche his entire career. However, when it became painfully evident the Avalanche where out of playoff contention, Avs GM and NHL Legend Joe Sakic made a statement.
“I don’t plan on moving a guy like MacKinnon, (Tyson) Jost, or (Mikko) Rantanen, especially with their age. We have a lot of good pieces here. Will I be listening to different ideas on how to improve us and maybe get us younger and get more depth here? Yeah, we’re going to do that.”
With the trade deadline roughly two months away, labeling only three players as untouchables certainly raised a lot of eyebrows. The implication is that many of their current core players were still available to be traded. Seemingly overnight, the hockey world blew up stating that Sakic was shopping Duchene. Reporters were constantly barraging him with questions on his situation and relationship with the Avalanche. With the teams struggles and questions on his future starting to weigh on him, the down-to-earth Avs star struggled. During the last 45 games of season he managed only five goals and 12 assists. The speculated asking price was astronomical; a good young player, a top four defenseman, and a 1st round pick. Over-involved Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk scoffed at this price before the March deadline. The ludicrous asking price was seen by many teams and fans alike as unreasonable. Many people aren’t quite sold on Duchene as a bonafide top line centre in the NHL, as he spent most of this season playing on the second line behind Nathan Mackinnon on a terrible hockey club. This has lead to teams trying to lowball Sakic into giving up Duchene for next to nothing.
Matt Duchene is, by his standards, coming off a down year of 41 point in 77 games, due largely to his lack of production in the second half of the season. He also struggled mightily during the World Championships after the season, scoring just one goal and zero assists in 10 games. However, if we dive into Matt’s numbers, looking from his rookie year in 2009–10 all the way through the 2015–2016 season, and compare his production against every other center to have played at least 330 games in that span (adjusted to include Crosby and Malkin), Duchene ranks 19th in points. What this confirms is that while not a superstar, Matt Duchene is among the most consistent producers in the NHL, and without a doubt belongs in the conversation for being a first line centre in the league. Duchene also led the NHL this season with the highest faceoff win percentage, winning 62.5% of his total draws taken.
It’s little surprise that there is no shortage in trade interest involving Matt Duchene. He would make a solid top line centre on many teams, but he has also shown the ability to play well on the wings, proving his talent and flexibility are big assets.
Duchene is clearly frustrated with all the rumours, uncertainty, and losing around him. He has stated that he is ready to move on if the Avalanche find a suitable trading partner. Recently dismissed Avalanche assistant coach Tim Army, who has spent most of Duchene’s NHL career with the struggling star, said after being let go by the team that he believes that Duchene needs to take a break from hockey and distance himself from the game this summer. Duchene certainly sounds like he is ready for a change in scenery, and all signs pointed to it being time for Colorado to ship him off.
Then the NHL Entry Draft passed, and Duchene was still a member of the Avs roster.
Many hockey pundits (including yours truly) were stunned, and consider it a failure by Sakic. However, Burnaby Joe is keeping his cards close to the chest and standing by his alleged high asking price of a young top four defenseman with a combination of picks and prospects.
From a fan’s perspective, this has to be an encouraging sign. Sakic isn’t going to short change the organisation just to save face. There are many teams who could benefit from adding a star of Duchene’s calibre to their roster. With no other big name player on the market, it’s only a matter of time before Joe gets close to what he is asking for. He is playing this trade situation perfectly and saying all the things he needs to. (Take notes Bryan Murray 2014).
Wherever Matty ends up landing, he is primed for a bounce back season, and whichever team is willing to pony up the necessary assets will surely be rewarded.
Alec Avedissian is a hockey contributor for TheOcho.ca.
