Report: The Matt Duchene situation in Pittsburgh

One of the biggest storylines over the last year or so in the NHL was the fate of Colorado Avalanche now-former forward Matt Duchene. It was public knowledge that he was available on the trade market - and after a trade deadline passed, the draft passed, the summer flew by, and even training camp passed, Duchene was still in Avalanche.

It became increasingly uncomfortable for everybody, especially in the locker room. A huge weight was lifted in the room when he was finally dealt to the Ottawa Senators.

This sentiment is starting to be felt in the Pittsburgh Penguins' locker room as Ian Cole remains on the team amidst rampant trade rumors.

Unfortunately for Cole and his teammates, the talk won't subside anytime soon, nor will a trade likely transpire as the team is dealing with several injuries to its top six defensemen.

“There certainly have been those conversations, both on the outside and on the inside,” Cole said, as reported by Josh Yohe of The Athletic. “It's something where, it's a little weird. It's something that, as a professional, there's not much we as players can do about it. We're trying to play well and win hockey games.”

“You just try to go in there and do your job,” he added. “Obviously you want to do your job, and that's to play hockey. It hasn't been ideal. But it's something where you maybe let it affect you for a day, but then you try to snap back, work hard and get ready for the next time you play, wherever it is.”

He's saying all the right things - but this has undoubtedly been a difficult time for the rugged defenseman, as he has been a regular healthy scratch throughout all these trade talks. There are tons of trade talks swirling around the team - and it's starting to take its toll on the team, if you ask Tom Kuhnhackl.

“We shouldn't be talking about it,” Kuhnhackl said. “It might screw us up even more. We've got a lot of guys with two Stanley Cup rings. We can rely on that. We've been through a lot in the last two years. We know this is something we have the ability to fight through. Our record was almost the same two years ago. We know we can do this.”

The trade seems all but inevitable, but as long as it goes on, the Penguins will have to deal with the weight this has on them - as they sit outside a playoff spot, the last thing they need is this distraction.