Vancouver Canucks: 3 Trade Proposals for Matt Duchene
The Canucks want a top-line centre, the Avalanche want defence — it’s a perfect fit.
It is no secret that the Vancouver Canucks will need a successor for franchise centre Henrik Sedin. And they will need one soon.
In most cases, the only way to get one is through the draft. Players like Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Patrice Bergeron, Nicklas Backstrom, Steven Stamkos or Ryan Getzlaf were all drafted by their current club. Once you get a true No. 1 centre, you don’t trade him, and you do everything in your power to keep him with your franchise for as long as possible.
But, there are exceptions.
In 2015-16, the Columbus Blue Jackets traded their No. 1 centre, Ryan Johansen, to the Nashville Predators in exchange for defenceman Seth Jones.
Because defencemen are at least as highly coveted as top-line centres.
Now back to the Canucks. Bo Horvat is doing his best to develop into a first-line player, but it wouldn’t hurt to get some insurance. Luckily, the Colorado Avalanche have someone available: Matt Duchene.
And they also know what they are seeking in return.
A young, established defenceman and a first-round pick is what it’ll take.
Let’s see what the Canucks can come up with.
Nov 27, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Chris Tanev (8) skates against the Dallas Stars during the game at the American Airlines Center. The Stars defeat the Canucks 3-2 in the overtime shootout. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Chris Tanev
Get ready for offer No. 1:
Why Vancouver does it:
Chris Tanev is the Canucks’ top defenceman, and he is one of the best shutdown D-men in the league. The 27-year-old is criminally underrated among NHL fans, but general managers and coaches know what he provides. So, there is no doubt that Vancouver would hate to let him go.
However, the Canucks’ defensive group looks relatively strong right now. With Ben Hutton, Nikita Tryamkin, Troy Stecher, Erik Gudbranson, Olli Juolevi and Jordan Subban, they have a solid group of youngsters as well. We don’t know what they will become, but they should be a very good group for many years.
What the Canucks are lacking is offensive firepower, and Duchene would provide that. Getting a first-line centre could take this team a long way.
Why Colorado does it:
Let’s start with a question: How young is “young”? Tanev is only 27, so he should still have a few years in him before he starts to decline. But, if the Avs are specifically asking for a young player, Tanev might be too old to qualify.
Still, Tanev is only a year older than Duchene, and he would become an incredibly important piece of the Avs’ D-core. Like the Canucks, the Avalanche are a terrible possession team. Plus, they rank third-last in goals against. Tanev knows how to keep attackers away from the net, which would be invaluable for Colorado.
Since Duchene still has the higher potential, the Canucks add this year’s first-round draft pick, which will help the Avs assemble more talent for the future.
Dec 13, 2016; Raleigh, NC, USA; Vancouver Canucks defensemen Ben Hutton (27) skates with the puck against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena. The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Vancouver Canucks 8-6. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Ben Hutton
Here’s offer No. 2:
Why Vancouver does it:
Trading Tanev would suck. Trading Ben Hutton would suck just as much. Maybe even more. Hutton is a fan favourite and the kind of player you don’t want to trade.
But, at this point, he is very much expandable. The Canucks currently have Alex Edler, Tryamkin and Luca Sbisa on the left side. None of those players are elite, but they are good enough for now. Plus, Olli Juolevi is expected to join the fold as early as next season. If Tanev, Gudbranson and Stecher all stay, the Canucks are set for at least a couple more years.
Why Colorado does it:
Hutton is just 23 years old, which is great. But, he is not as established as Tanev. At times, Hutton still struggles, and so far this season, he has recorded fewer points than Stecher and even Sbisa. To be fair, Sbisa has appeared in nine more games than Hutton, but still.
In Colorado, Hutton could become a solid top-four defenceman for the next seven years or more. Though he may never become a true No. 1 D-man, he should be a strong contributor on the Avs’ blue line. To sweeten the deal, the Canucks add two draft picks that will help improve the team through the draft or via trades.
Olli Juolevi
The final offer:
Why Vancouver does it:
The Canucks don’t want to go into full-on rebuild mode. That’s totally understandable. One way to avoid it would be to keep young NHL regulars like Hutton and instead trade a prospect and a draft pick for a No. 1 centre.
Olli Juolevi is expected to become a top-pairing player for many years. But, there are no guarantees that he will ever actually make it. The 2016-17 season has not been as good for Juolevi as we would’ve hoped, so there are still some question marks surrounding him.
Why Colorado does it:
Juolevi isn’t established, so he doesn’t exactly fit Adrian Dater’s description. However, he is young, and he has sky-high potential. One NHL defenceman — say, Tanev or Hutton — won’t turn the Avs into a Stanley Cup contender. It might not even be enough to make it to the playoffs.
So, the Avalanche have a lot more work to do. They could try to build their roster around Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Juolevi, and take it from there.
With the 2017 first-round pick, they could, again, add another talented prospect through the draft, or flip it for another NHL roster player.
Jan 4, 2017; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Colorado Avalanche center Matt Duchene (9) skates during the warmup period against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Outlook
Three offers that look very similar but would have very different impacts on both teams.
The Tanev Deal
Trading Tanev for Duchene would be best for Colorado if they think they can start winning again soon. An established player who can jump right into the top four and contribute.
For the Canucks, keeping Tanev would also be the best option if they want to win now. Duchene is only 26, but since players peak between 23 and 27, Vancouver should probably try to win as soon as possible with Duchene in the lineup. Trading Tanev would be counter-productive here.
The Hutton Deal
Getting Hutton instead of Tanev would give the Avs some extra time to plan the rest of their roster. They would get a young NHL player who can contribute for many, many years.
For the Canucks, this would also be a good scenario but, again, only if they want to win now. Almost everyone has accepted that Vancouver needs a rebuild, so trading Hutton and two draft picks to Colorado would not be great.
The Juolevi Deal
If this was the one Colorado went with, it would be their way of telling their fans that they will have to spend another few years at the bottom of the standings. Not the best scenario in the short term, but it might help the most long-term. The Avs have some young players to build a franchise around, and Juolevi could be another one to join that group.
For the Canucks, this would almost be going all-in. Vancouver is battling for a playoff spot already, and adding Duchene to the lineup without giving up current roster players would be huge. Sure, a Juolevi trade — along with a first-round draft pick — would totally jeopardise the future. But it would also be great to bring playoff hockey back to BC.
So, what’s next?
Honestly, I have no clue. And yes, I wrote all this to finish it off with “I have no clue.”
This is not an easy decision to make. Neither for the Avalanche nor for the Canucks.
All I can say is I would love to see Duchene in a Canucks jersey. Even if it took Tanev or Hutton to get him here.
As to Juolevi, I don’t know. He isn’t really what the Avs want, and I don’t think the Canucks really want to trade him either.
So, I guess we just have to wait and see. And one day be surprised when nothing happens the way we expected.
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