Matt Duchene has a new home with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and although the Montreal Canadiens weren’t in on acquiring him now, July 1st is a possibility.
Well, the ball dropped on Friday with Matt Duchene. The centre was rumoured to be linked to the Nashville Predators, Winnipeg Jets, Columbus Blue Jackets, and to some extent, the Montreal Canadiens, and when the dust was all settled, Columbus was the final team remaining.
The trade took a first round pick in 2019 and two prospects in Vitaly Abramov and Jonathan Davidsson. There is also another conditional first in 2020 that would be sent to Ottawa if Duchene resigns with the team.
Abramov got Blue Jackets fans excited with his play in the QMJHL as well as his performance at training camp ahead of the season. He’s struggled to adjust to the AHL but is still a prospect the Blue Jackets coveted. Davidsson is currently playing in the SHL with Djurgardens IF putting up ten goals and ten assists in 35 games. There is a lot of optimism in what he could turn into as well leaving the Senators satisfied with what they’ve got.
Could the Montreal Canadiens match that? Possibly. It looks like Columbus didn’t have to give up their best prospects and the Habs could’ve worked on something without having to pluck away from the top four (Ryan Poehling, Alexander Romanov, Josh Brook, Nick Suzuki). But that’s that.
Duchene already played his first game for Columbus against his former team, and it’ll be interesting to see how he fairs down the stretch. The question is whether he chooses to call the Blue Jackets home for another eight years.
The consensus has been that Duchene would be open to signing an extension with whoever acquires him ahead of the deadline. If the Blue Jackets are alright with giving up another first-round pick, then Columbus is where he will stay. Though you wonder if Duchene will want to test the open market and field calls from other teams.
Nashville would still likely be an option, and the Montreal Canadiens should be as well. It’s something to think about heading into the offseason.
A long playoff run will probably help the Blue Jackets sway Duchene on staying. Additionally, the possibility of losing both Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky to free agency could up the motivation from management to get Duchene on a contract.
But of course, this is a conversation for another time. Marc Bergevin and the Habs were always going to be one of the more fascinating stories heading into the deadline based on the success this season. Free agency may be a similar story with the number of names out there, and Duchene will easily be on their wishlist.