Mile High Sticking
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Colorado Avalanche: Memorable Moments from 2017

By Nadia Archuleta

DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 31: Members of the Colorado Avalanche salute the crowd after a win against the New York Islanders at the Pepsi Center on December 31, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche defeated the Islanders 6-1. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 31: Members of the Colorado Avalanche salute the crowd after a win against the New York Islanders at the Pepsi Center on December 31, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche defeated the Islanders 6-1. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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DENVER, CO – JANUARY 06: Head coach Jared Bednar and Matt Duchene /

Matt Duchene Trade

On November 5, the Colorado Avalanche traded Matt Duchene to the Ottawa Senators for a pretty big haul:

  • Colorado Avalanche sent Matt Duchene to Ottawa Senators
  • Ottawa Senators sent Shane Bowers, Andrew Hammond, 2018 1st-round draft pick, 2019 3rd-round draft pick to Colorado Avalanche
  • Ottawa Senators sent Kyle Turris to Nashville Predators
  • Nashville Predators sent Samuel Girard, Vladislav Kamenev, 2nd-round draft pick to Colorado Avalanche

This trade was two years in the making — ever since Duchene had a scoring slump in October 2015, when the trade rumors started. I’m going to repeat what I said at the time — I’m happy for what the Avalanche got in return, and I’m glad that Duchene is getting a fresh start, but I’m sad for myself because I loved having Dutchy on our team.

I’m now going to address some trolls. Matt Duchene has struggled some on the Ottawa Senators, and the team took a nosedive not long after the trade. The two are not totally related. Of course Duchene struggled — he got traded in the most awkward way possible (mid-shift) to go to a new team with a completely different system than he was used to. Duchene has ever been a mental player.

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You know what else Matt Duchene has been? A really good human being. He is an NHL player who started his social media with the expressed reason of reaching fans. He is a player who never turns down fan requests for autographs and pictures — including at the beginning of this season when he was in so much turmoil. He is a man who doesn’t just undertake the team-mandated charity but goes out of his way to better people’s lives, such as Haven Anderson’s.

Therefore, I see no reason whatsoever to be petty about what’s going on with the Senators and Duchene. Yes, in his first interview as a Senator, he remarked that he’d requested the trade because he wanted to play playoff hockey, and now his former team is in a better spot to achieve that than his current team.

Anyone who thinks that was Duchene’s sole reason for requesting a trade has no understanding of human nature. Humans are complicated beings, and Matt has shown he’s a particularly complicated one (read mental comment above — he’s ever been a Byronic hero). I’m willing to bet there was a part of him that was crushed when his onetime idol, Joe Sakic, was willing to dangle him as trade bait for literal years. I also think he didn’t get along too well with coach Jared Bednar (see picture above). And maybe he just felt a new team, one that he didn’t have such a weighted backstory with, would give him a fresh start.

And while Matt Duchene did go through a scoring slump with Ottawa, he’s not “locker room cancer” that’s dragging the team down. Captain and franchise player Erik Karlsson underwent surgery to remove part of his ankle bone and replace it with an artificial tendon. He has said that it feels different and it’s affecting his play — and Karlsson is having some career low numbers.

We’re also looking at a captain and franchise player that’s been the center of some virulent trade rumors, partially sparked by his adamant refusal to take a “hometown discount.” (I’m not suggesting he should, but just that it’s creating a distraction with the team.) I’ve also noticed that Karlsson doesn’t seem to be stepping up as a leader during these trying Sens times — when Duchene scored a game-winner in OT, Karlsson doesn’t even skate over to congratulate him.

Then there’s Eugene Melnyk’s bizarre rants about selling the team and/or moving it. Oh, and there was that whole “Is the NHL going to force Melnyk to sell the Senators” debacle that happened right before the Outdoor Game in Ottawa.  None of it Matt Duchene’s fault.

In conclusion, don’t slander Duchene’s name. What does it really say about a person that points at a good man like Matt and delights in his hardships? Nothing flattering, I assure you.

Rant over. Now on to the puppy dog of the Colorado Avalanche.

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