Rumor: Leaked details of proposed trade between Preds and Avs

GM Joe Sakic is asking for a HUGE ransom!

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 6 years ago
Rumor: Leaked details of proposed trade between Preds and Avs
Keystone Press

The Matt Duchene situation in Colorado appears to be getting uglier by the day. The Colorado Avalanche star has been the focus of trade rumors and speculation for over a calendar year with reports linking him to the Nashville Predators, New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens and Columbus Blue Jackets. As of yet though, Avs GM Joe Sakic has yet to pull the trigger on a deal that would give the 26-year-old sniper a new home.

So, what’s the hold up? Well, as Sportsnet analyst and NHL insider Elliotte Friedman explains, it might be Sakic’s inflated asking price. While live on air with Buffalo sports radio station WGR 550, Friedman shared some inside information about the Av’s trade negotiations with the Preds.

Check it out:

“I wrote yesterday that they’d asked Nashville about all four of their top D, and then somebody said to me that – last night he actually called me and he said that not only that, but he heard it was one of those D plus. So it’s a big ask.
“I wrote that I think one of the guys they really like and the kind of player they really want is a guy like Noah Hanifin for Carolina. So unless it changes for Colorado, and I don’t get the sense it will, they’re holding out until they get that kind of an asset.”

Wait…. are you kidding? So Sakic thinks that Duchene is worth as much or more than a player like P.K. Subban or Roman Josi? That’s crazy. Mattias Ekholm or Ryan Ellis are arguably more viable, but if Sakic thinks he’ll get much more than that in return for Duchene, fans could be waiting around a lot longer for a deal to get done.

When pushed for specifics, Friedman didn’t mention:

“I think they’ve asked Nashville for Ekholm. And Nashville doesn’t want to do that.”

Well… there you have it. You can’t blame Sakic for trying and you can’t blame Preds GM David Poile for rebuffing. So, what’s next in the ongoing Matt Duchene saga? Friedman suggests that Sakic will continue to keep Duchene’s name out front of trade talks and wait until a team gets desperate enough to pay his price. It’s a strategy that worked for Steve Yzerman and the Tampa Bay Lightning in their dealing of Jonathan Drouin and Sakic is looking for the same rate of return.