Montreal Canadiens: Apparently No Interest in Matt Duchene

Matt Duchene has been surrounded in trade rumours and although it would make a lot of sense for the Montreal Canadiens, apparently they’re not in on him.

When you think of trades, the first name that comes to mind is Matt Duchene. It’s common knowledge that the 26-year-old wants out of Colorado, but GM Joe Sakic hasn’t been able to find a trade partner yet. It’s not like there hasn’t been interest considering many teams, including the Montreal Canadiens, would benefit from acquiring him.

That’s what the belief was before. Apparently the Habs are not interested in trading for Duchene. NHL insider Darren Dreger confirmed this on Tuesday when he joined TSN 1040 saying:

"When I deal with Montreal sources, I keep hearing that they’re not in on Matt Duchene."

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Right off the bat, that’s pretty disappointing. Although the Canadiens added Jonathan Drouin to be their top line center, it would’ve been great to acquire a player like Duchene. He’s having a decent start to the season so far with a goal and two assists in three games. However, thinking back to the price for the deal, the lack of interest may be more because of the price.

The Habs have their own first round pick, but they don’t have that high-quality young defenceman that the Colorado Avalanche would want. Last year it would’ve been Mikhail Sergachev. They still have Noah Juulsen, Brett Lernout, and possibly Jakub Jerabek who could go the other way. Victor Mete could be another player to match that criteria but the Habs may be reluctant to give him up seeing as how they just discovered what he can do at the NHL level.

Dreger also mentioned that the Habs not being in on Duchene could be bogus. It’s a touchy memory, but Marc Bergevin said repeatedly that they weren’t shopping P.K. Subban. We all know what happened after that.

It’ll be interesting to see how this situation plays out. The Montreal Canadiens aren’t having the greatest start to their season at the moment. Many fans are expecting some kind of move in the near future, whether one happens or not is the big mystery.

Next: Possible Trade With the Islanders

Do you think the Habs will still pursue Duchene? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.