DUCHENE IN, TURRIS OUT
Senators deal for Avalanche star
The chase is over, the Ottawa Senators have acquired centre Matt Duchene.
After trying to trade for the 26-year-old Colorado Avalanche forward for nearly two years, general manager Pierre Dorion completed a three-team blockbuster Sunday night when he sent centre Kyle Turris to the Nashville Predators in a trade that looked like it was dead Friday night.
But as reported in this space Saturday, the Senators were determined to get Duchene and Dorion wanted to get this trade over the finish line.
This was by no means a small deal. Turris agreed to a six-year, $36 million contract extension with the Predators while the Senators dealt goalie Andrew Hammond along with top prospect Shane Bowers to the Avs. The club also sent a first-round pick in 2018 and third-round pick in 2019 to the Avs.
Colorado also got Nashville’s second-round pick along with defenceman Samuel Girard and winger Vladislav Kamenev.
Still, the centrepiece of the deal is Duchene because he’s the top player involved.
Dorion will hold a news conference Monday in Ottawa to welcome the club’s new top centre into the fold.
The Senators paid a high price but they wanted Duchene badly and that’s why Dorion refused to give up in his pursuit of a trade.
The deal between Colorado and Ottawa was completed Sunday afternoon, then the Nashville element had to be completed before the trade was official.
Duchene was pulled off the ice in the first period of Colorado’s game against the New York Islanders Sunday in Brooklyn. Oddly enough, he’ll make his Ottawa debut with the Senators Friday against his former Colorado teammates in Stockholm, Sweden.
Duchene flew to Ottawa Sunday night and will be on the ice at the Canadian Tire Centre Monday morning in the club’s final practice before boarding a charter at 10 p.m. to head overseas.
“Playing my first two games against my old team is going to be strange but it’s something I half-expected,” Duchene told reporters while leaving the rink in Brooklyn, in a video posted by BSN Denver. “I have nothing but good things to say about (the Avalanche).”
Though Duchene reported to camp in September, he only did it to honour his contract and hopefully try to drive his value to get dealt. It hasn’t been easy for Duchene because he has wanted to be moved and has been the subject of trade talk since the Avalanche started their rebuild under GM Joe Sakic.
“It’s part of the business and none of this is personal at the end of the day,” said Duchene. “I’m very thankful for my new destination and I’m very thankful (for the chance) to be (with the Avs).”
Duchene said he joked with his family about the possibility of being dealt during the game before he went on the ice. He knew the trade was done when he saw the coaching staff talking on the bench.
“I’ll have a good story to tell one day,” Duchene said.
The Senators feel if they can surround Duchene with the proper talent then he’s going to have success here. Let’s face it, the Avs haven’t been very good for a long time and Duchene is going to get a chance to play with skilled players, including the ability for captain Erik Karlsson to get him the puck.
Duchene has four goals and six assists for 10 points in 13 games this season and the Senators feel this change of scenery is only going to help him.
“We feel this deal brings us some top prospects as well as some high draft picks for both the short- and the long-term future,” said Sakic. “We’ve said all along that we wanted to be patient and wait for the right deal and this is the opportunity we feel is best for the organization.”
Yes, people will be upset the Senators let Turris go in the trade, but the reality is he wasn’t going to re-sign here.
The two sides were on opposite sides of the table in contract talks and they weren’t going to be able to bridge the gap. If he wasn’t dealt Sunday, it would have only been a matter of time before he was traded.
The decision to deal Turris won’t be popular partly because he played a big role in the community.
However, the Senators feel Duchene is an upgrade at centre. Not only is he younger with two years left on his deal, he fits into the system that coach Guy Boucher wants to play and will get plenty of playing time.
Make no mistake, this deal took time to get completed.
The Avalanche originally wanted defenceman Cody Ceci when the talks first started and they were also asking for top prospect Thomas Chabot.
It’s believed the Avs may have also tried to get the likes of Colin White, Logan Brown, Christian Jaros, Alex Formenton and Andreas Englund included in the deal.
Playing my first two games against my old team is going to be strange, but it’s something I half-expected.