Duchene, Landeskog stay put in Denver
No sale.
The Colorado Avalanche elected to hold on to both Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog as time expired on Wednesday's trade deadline.
Rumors circled the two forwards in recent months, while reports indicated Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic had set the bar high to make a deal work. Colorado was believed to be seeking at least three or four high-end assets in exchange for either player.
Related: Melnyk stunned by asking price for Colorado's Duchene
That price tag was evidently too steep for rival GMs, who passed on Duchene and Landeskog despite both players holding multi-year contracts - not pure rentals like the bulk of players moved at the deadline.
Sakic had conversations about a lot of guys, won't get into specifics with players and other GMs. #Avs
— Brian Compton (@BComptonNHL) March 1, 2017
"I don't have to make any major moves," Sakic told Brian Compton of NHL.com. "I wasn't out there throwing names around. I don't do that."
But that doesn't mean the Avalanche can't revisit the possibility of dealing one or both players in the offseason, particularly during the entry draft, which has become a hotbed for transactions in recent seasons.
The Avalanche's season has been effectively over for months, with the team mired at the bottom of the standings. Colorado owns an NHL-worst record, with just 17 wins in 61 games and sits 14 points back of the next-lowest club.