The Colorado Avalanche may be parting with yet another center.
Currently sitting last place in the Western Conference, the team has reportedly been calling teams regarding forward Matt Duchene, as discussed on TSN's "Insider Trading" on Thursday.
Pierre LeBrun discussed that general manager Joe Sakic and head coach Patrick Roy are under pressure to make changes to the roster with the current squad struggling to get wins and attract fans to the games. He added anybody outside of Nathan MacKinnon could be available at the right price.
"Now, will they trade Duchene for sure? No, not for sure," Darren Dreger said. "But they are calling teams about him. Teams are calling them about him. There’s something there."
Dreger then delved into details regarding discussions with the Ottawa Senators.
"Joe Sakic has reached out to Sens general manager Bryan Murray about 10 days ago to see whether or not the Senators would have interest in Matt Duchene. Now, the Senators are intrigued. Why wouldn't you be? We know Bryan Murray has been looking for a top-6 forward, but the fit might not be there. But to say that they were surprised that the call came in specific to Duchene? Yes, they were."
Bob McKenzie told TSN 1050 that the Avalanche are looking to upgrade their defense by dealing one of their many young forwards. Duchene is currently the highest paid player in Colorado making $6 million, but many teams are expected to be interested in his services.
The 24-year-old has nine points in 15 games this season. If moved, he would be the third young center let go by the team in the past two years after Paul Stastny was allowed to walk as a free agent last offseason and Ryan O'Reilly was dealt to the Buffalo Sabres in June.
Following the news he may be traded, the 24-year-old upped his potential trade value by scoring the game-winning goal against the Boston Bruins.
