Updates on Colorado Avalanche center Matt Duchene, Columbus Blue Jackets forwards Cam Atkinson and Kerby Rychel and Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jarred Tinordi.
Duchene wants to remain with the Avalanche.
Matt Duchene hopes to remain with the Avalanche.
THE DENVER POST: Mike Chambers reports it didn’t take long for Colorado Avalanche center Matt Duchene to realize a recent trade rumor about him had little substance. “I’m pretty confident — or hopeful, anyway — that I will continue to be an Av in the near future,” Duchene said. “But you never know. This business is very unpredictable.” Avs GM Joe Sakic claimed the Duchene trade rumor came out of right field. “When you’re talking, people bring up names. That’s how deals happen,” Sakic said.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The rumor in question linked Duchene to the Ottawa Senators. If, as some speculate, Sakic floated the center’s name to light a spark under him, mission accomplished. Duchene’s been on an offensive tear in the past week. For all the Duchene trade chatter, the word out of the Denver media is he’s the last player the Avs would consider trading.
While this probably isn’t the last time we’ll hear Duchene mentioned in trade speculation (especially if the Avs fail to gain ground in the standings), it’s unlikely he’ll be dealt. He carries a $6 million annual cap hit, which is as good as a no-movement clause during a season, especially one with so many teams squeezed for cap space. And if he maintains his recent offensive improvement, the Avs definitely won’t move him.
Blue Jackets shopping Atkinson and Rychel.
STARTRIBUNE.COM: Michael Russo reports Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen is shopping forwards Cam Atkinson and Kerby Rychel “hard” in hopes of acquiring a defenseman.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: If we go by recent speculation, he’s been shopping those guys for a month now. Rychel’s only seen action in two NHL games this season and failed to make an appreciable impression (no points, one shot, five PIMs, plus/minus of minus-1). Atkinson has a respectable 10 points in 17 games, sitting sixth in team scoring, but he’s also carrying a $3.5 million annual cap hit, which is difficult to move at this point in the season. Whatever defensemen are available evidently aren’t worth parting with Atkinson.
Tinordi’s days numbered with the Canadiens?
LE JOURNAL DE MONTREAL: Pierre Durocher speculates defenseman Jarred Tinordi’s days with the Montreal Canadiens could be numbered. Tinordi has yet to see any game action this season with the Habs. Head coach Michel Therrien opted to go with Greg Pateryn over Tinordi as a replacement for the injured Alexei Emelin. Durocher claims several teams have expressed interest in Tinordi’s future with the Canadiens, wondering what he might fetch (maybe a second-round pick?) in return.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canadiens won’t demote Tinordi, as they risk losing him to waivers. Durocher noted there was a rumor Tinordi could be sent to their farm team on a conditioning stint but the blueliner said management hasn’t approached him about that option. It’s clear Therrien and GM Marc Bergevin no longer have confidence in the big blueliner, but Bergevin isn’t in any hurry to trade him right now. I daresay he hopes to use Tinordi as a trade chip later in the season, perhaps to fetch a depth player from a desperate team.
Duchene wouldn’t be “the last player the Avs would consider trading” as reported in the Denver media. Maybe the second-last because I think Nathan McKinnon will be there for as long as the franchise can retain him.
Word is Tyson Barrie is now available. That seems odd as the Avs could ill afford to lose an impact defeseman like this.
If they trade Berrie Roy and Said should be fired immediately.
Sakic …auto correct
I’m convinced Roy is the de facto GM in Denver, with Sakic clearing every move through him. Roy didn’t get along with O’Reilly (Roy doesn’t get along with a LOT of people) so he was gone, regardless of what Sakic thought. Sort of like Lamoriello in TO – no one will convince me that he has full authority to make a deal without first getting the OK from Babcock and Shanahan.
I don’t think it makes much sense in saying that Lamoriello has to clear every trade through Shanahan when Shanahan was the one bringing him in and knew full well how Lamoriello normally operates. I’m sure Lamoriello discusses all trades with Babcock, like any GM would, and Babs probably has more say than is usual in these circumstances. But Lamoriello clearing every trade through Shanahan, like he’s a lame duck GM? Simply NO. Discussing/Notifying Shanahan of future moves? YES. To be fair, it is hard to do a distinction between clearing and notifying a President since I believe all three people discussed are in talks all the time regarding players. Every major move is already sanctioned by all three when done.
Doesn’t it make sense MTL and CLB start talking? CLB clearly needs a shutdown D, Montreal could use more long-term depth or possibly a current forward with Semin going back to CLB as one last ditch effort to prove himself?
There could be something there. Rychel for tenordi. Just a flip of the two. Montreal gets bigger and tougher on the wing and Columbus gets size one e backend.
HOPE THEY DON’T TRADE DUCHESNE,IT IS A GREAT GUY TO HAVE IN THE TEAM,HE IS EASY TO COACH I AM SURE,SO YOU NEED A PLAYER LIKE DUCHESNE IN YOUR TEAM.UNTILL NOW , THEY HAD NO LUCK WITH OREILLY TRADE .SO THEY SHOULD KEEP IN.
MY GOOD MAN ,YOU MAKE NO SENSE.
As of right now the Avs are taking a beating in the ROR trade.
Grigorenko looks totally lost with the Avs, just as he did with the Sabres. TJ may be the saving grace for the Avs in this trade. ROR is a number one center on a vastly improved team.
Habs have great speed they work hard have a very good goalie but are way to small and soft. This team will continue to play well during the season but in the playoffs when it gets a lot tuffer they won’t beable to compete.
So should they keep Tinordi?
I think before you explore trade options…I think if you’re Marc Bergevin, you call up Mike McCarron and audition him on the right side of Eller and Galchenyuk…Waiving Semin won’t be that big of a loss either way…If they do end up trading Tinordi to CBJ, should be straight up for Rychel.