Matt Duchene's name has popped up a fair bit in trade rumors of late.
In this edition of the hotstove we discuss whether or not the Colorado Avalanche should move him.
Todd Cordell
I think the Avalanche would be smart to keep Duchene.
Throughout his career he has averaged 62 points per 82 games played and he's signed for several more seasons at a reasonable $6 million per season.
The Avs' biggest need is a legitimate top-pairing defenseman and those guys are rarely - if ever - available on the trade market. That means the best the Avs could get for Duchene is probably a 2nd pairing guy. Trading a top-line talent at just 24 years of age for a mid-pairing defenseman is a step backward, in my opinion.
James Tanner
Sure they should. Duchene is a name brand player who'll bring back more than he is probably worth. He's a scorer who has never topped 70 points or 30 goals and does not drive possession or play a strong defense.
Mike Ribeiro scores roughly the same amount of points since Duchene came into the league. Ribeiro is a way better possession player and has a better two-way game. Duchene scores slightly more goals.
For some reason Duchene is regarded as a superstar and Mike Ribeiro is not. There is no making sense out of who people just randomly seem to agree is a great player or why. Duchene is a very good player, but he's about a Mike Ribeiro, only younger.
So, yeah, he isn't a franchise player and since their team sucks, trading him would be smart.
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