Montreal Canadiens: Addressing the Duchene Frustration

As good as it would’ve been to acquire Matt Duchene, it may not have been worth it for the Montreal Canadiens considering what Ottawa had to give up.

Matt Duchene was the biggest trade chip in the NHL for the longest time. Finally the era is over and he’s found a new home with the Ottawa Senators. There were a lot of teams in on the center when the trade rumours were at its peak including the Montreal Canadiens. Unfortunately the price that Joe Sakic continuously asked for was way too much.

That being said, Duchene was moved. A large portion of the Habs fan base was up in arms because Marc Bergevin wasn’t in on the deal. Looking at what the Sens had to send Colorado’s way, that was probably the best thing to do.

It didn’t take multiple first round picks and NHL ready prospects like before, but Ottawa did have to give up a lot to add the 26-year-old to the team. The Avalanche received the Sens’ 1st round pick in 2018, 3rd round pick in 2019, goaltender Andrew Hammond and prospect Shane Bowers.

Carbon Copy of the Trade

Although the Habs have been better as of late, it’s still to early in the season to trade a 1st round pick. You never know how the rest of the season is going to go. Bergevin wont have a problem trading a 1st if the team is well in a playoff spot around the trade deadline, but there has to be a little sense of caution right now.

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In terms of goaltending, it would probably be Zachary Fucale going the other way. The price would be different if it were Al Montoya or Charlie Lindgren involved where the Habs would have to give up more if it was the former or less if the latter. Lindgren has true NHL starting potential and if the Habs do decide to move him, they have to be absolutely sure that it would be for the best.

Ryan Poehling would be the final piece of the puzzle. The 18-year-old is going to be a key part of the Habs center depth moving forward. Duchene would help the team right now, but the 25th overall pick has the potential to be a top two centerman in the NHL down the road. He’s off to a great start with St. Cloud State and his offensive game has improved as he has three goals and seven assists in seven games.

I was a big proponent of the Montreal Canadiens acquiring Duchene, but it will end up being better in the long run that Bergevin wasn’t in on this one. It will be difficult to say that if the team has another slump, but there’s a reason why desperation trades are not ideal.

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Do you think the Montreal Canadiens could afford to give that up for Duchene? Let us know your thoughts down below.