NHL Trade Rumors: 5 teams who should trade for Matt Duchene

Here are five NHL teams who should trade for Colorado Avalanche forward Matt Duchene

The Colorado Avalanche desperately need a rebuild. Their current core simply is not working out. Though they made a playoff appearance following the 2013-14 NHL season, they haven’t been back since. It’s obvious the lone playoff appearances is an outlier. As of Jan. 3, the Avalanche are in last place in the league. If they’re going to embrace a rebuild, Colorado will have to shake up their core. Arguably their core’s most valuable trade asset is star forward Matt Duchene.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggests the Avalanche are listening to offers for him, though their asking price is reportedly high. Looking at their roster, Colorado will most likely target defensemen, both NHL caliber and prospects. Duchene is a very talented player who is a proven scorer. In a league where scoring is hard, teams will covet him. Here are five teams who should trade for the disgruntled Avalanche forward.

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5. Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres and Avalanche aren’t strangers, as they have done deals in the past. Most recently, Buffalo acquired star center Ryan O’Reilly from them. The Sabres have multiple issues, but one of them is goal scoring. Matt Duchene is coming off a 30 goal season and is a consistently productive forward.

However, does Buffalo have what it takes to offer the Avalanche what they want? Jake McCabe is their only promising young defenseman other than Rasmus Ristolainen. One can assume Ristolainen is untouchable. It’s also debatable how Duchene would fit in with the Sabres. Would he move to wing? Does he stay at center? If Duchene does, Buffalo could have an impressive trio of centers. O’Reilly, Jack Eichel, and Duchene would be arguably the most proficient trio of centers in the Eastern Conference, if not the entire NHL.

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4. Anaheim Ducks

If there’s one team that has the young defensemen necessary to trade for Matt Duchene, it’s the Anaheim Ducks. As is, they have a surplus of blue liners even before you consider Shea Theodore. At the same time, the Ducks need to add some scoring if they want to be serious Stanley Cup contenders. As of Jan. 3, Anaheim ranks 14th in the league in goals per game. That’s pretty good, but not good enough to go very deep in the playoffs.

It’s worth noting Duchene has experience playing with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, as they have been teammates on Team Canada. He might have his defensive deficiencies, but Anaheim has an excellent blue line even if they have to trade, say, Sami Vatanen or Cam Fowler.

The Ducks have to be more aggressive in terms of upgrading their team. While they’ve already won a Stanley Cup with Getzlaf and Perry, it has been a decade since they won. Signing Ryan Kesler long-term confirms the Ducks are all in to win another title. So why not push some more of their chips in? Sure, it’s risky, but the payoff could be worth it. Contenders tend to make risky moves because they make moves with high upside.

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3. Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens haven’t won a Stanley Cup in over 20 years. For most teams, it might not seem like a long time. However, the Canadiens are the NHL’s most historic and successful franchise. Winning is expected in Montreal and losing is seen as nothing short of a complete failure. Could the Canadiens make a bold move and trade for Matt Duchene?

Montreal could certainly use some more scoring. It’s worth noting both Alex Galchenyuk and David Desharnais have been out since December, but lately, they’ve been having trouble scoring goals. Getting another offensively gifted center would help ease the pressure on Galchenyuk and captain Max Pacioretty.

Duchene would also give the Canadiens a lot of flexibility at center. If Montreal has a weakness, it’s in the faceoff circle. Sure, winning there isn’t as important as many think. But they only win 49.9 percent of their faceoffs. Duchene is an expert in the circle, winning 61.4 percent of his faceoffs this season and 57.4 last season.

The Canadiens could trade away one of their top young defensemen. They certainly have options. Mikhail Sergachev, Montreal’s 2016 first round pick, could easily be on the table. Nathan Beaulieu might be involved as well. Montreal has what it takes to pull the trigger, but will they?

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2. Minnesota Wild

Would the Colorado Avalanche be willing to trade Matt Duchene within their own division? This remains to be seen. However, what’s undeniable is he would make a significant impact for the Wild and cement them as serious Stanley Cup contenders. Even though they are averaging the fourth most goals per game in the NHL, the Wild need a go to guy. Duchene could be that for them.

As of Jan. 3, he has 13 goals. This would put him as Minnesota’s leading goal scorer. His 24 points would rank fourth on the team. Keep in mind Duchene is playing for a far less talented team as well. Adding a top center like him could do wonders for the Wild. For one thing, it would ease the pressure on guys like Charlie Coyle, Mikael Granlund, and Eric Staal to have to consistently produce. Duchene draws a lot of attention, and rightfully so.

Most importantly, the Wild have precisely what the Avalanche are looking for – young defensemen. Whether it’s Matthew Dumba or Jonas Brodin, Minnesota has the promising defenseman it takes to at least get Colorado to listen. Granted, it might also take them another young defenseman prospect. Perhaps even coveted forward prospect Alex Tuch. But the Wild’s Stanley Cup window is wide open. Duchene could help them bring a title to the state of hockey.

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1. New York Islanders

Perhaps no team is as desperate to add a goal scorer than the New York Islanders. Their need for one goes far beyond the 2016-17 season. Getting a legitimate goal scorer could help them persuade captain John Tavares to stay with the Islanders. Right now, they aren’t giving him much of a reason to stick around. Why not add someone who Tavares has a lot of experience with? Matt Duchene fits the bill perfectly.

The duo have spent time together with Team Canada. They spent a lot of time together during the World Cup of Hockey and also during the 2014 Winter Olympics. Trading for Duchene would certainly help prove to Tavares that the Islanders are committed to winning.

As far as what they would have to give up, Travis Hamonic or Nick Leddy could make a ton of sense. Even if the Avalanche want even younger defensemen, Ryan Pulock is quite tempting to a team like the Avalanche who don’t have many promising prospects.

Duchene would give the Islanders an excellent one-two punch in their lineup. They never properly replaced Frans Nielsen. Duchene isn’t as good defensively as Nielsen, but he’s sure better on offense. Trading for him makes a lot of sense for the Islanders if they want to keep Tavares.