Calgary Flames Rumors: Duchene For Giordano?
By Luke Ryan
All current rumors point to Matt Duchene being shopped; could the Calgary Flames find value in the Colorado Avalanche center?
The 24-year old Ontario native drafted third overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, for whatever reason, is seen not to meet the needs of the Avalanche organization. This is a player that is still young and has tremendous upside; he could have real potential as a member of the Calgary Flames roster.
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Granted it expedites any rebuild program, but looking at his career statistics it’s a worthwhile risk.
In three seasons in the NHL, he’s managed 43 points in a half season, then 70 and 55 in two full seasons. A player that can routinely post above fifty points a year is never something to be shrugged at.
In terms of a cap hit, SpotRac lists him on a $30million five-year contract, which is reasonably steep. Comparing though to similar cap hits currently on the Calgary Flames roster, it’s quite favorable to the likes of Mark Giordano and Dennis Wideman, whose contracts are in a similar financial bracket despite being 8 years Duchene’s senior.
This leads to the obvious question of who on the Calgary Flames roster would Patrick Roy be interested in adding to the Colorado organization?
Wideman or Giordano are obvious options, but given their seniority, the Flames may have to surrender a draft pick or prospect to sweeten the deal.
Let’s look at the options though:
There’s a chance that a deal could be made offering a defenseman and a forward in return for Duchene, though for this deal to be made Colorado would have to sweeten it!
Again, quite hypothetical, but that’s the way all trades begin:
In my books, acquiring Matt Duchene would be a very clever move for the Calgary Flames organization. He is within the right age bracket for the future of the team, has tremendous upside all-round and is apparently available. Why wouldn’t the Calgary Flames be investigating all possibilities?
Mikael Backlund, Sam Bennett, Josh Jooris and Matt Duchene sound like a pretty well-rounded group down the middle, if you ask me.
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What do you think? Should the Calgary Flames pursue Matt Duchene or are we in dream land? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.