On the Colorado Avalanche …
Chris Nichols of FanRag Sports: Darren Dreger on TSN 690 on the Colorado Avalanche and what they could do before the trade deadline. Dreger wonders if they should sit tight for now and see where they are at. If in the same situation, then start collecting more draft picks and prospects. Why wouldn’t they consider moving forward Matt Duchene?
“Landeskog is interesting to me. I don’t believe that Joe Sakic really wants to move him. But what I know is that there was a trade conversation between Joe Sakic and a Western Conference general manager prior to the draft lottery and Landeskog’s name was included in it. And it was believed that a defenseman had to go back the other way to Colorado as part of a package. Then it just seemed to fizzle.
“So I don’t know that Sakic is eager to move Landeskog. I think he’d be more inclined to trading Matt Duchene. But the deal has to be right.”
Chris Nichols of FanRag Sports: Bob McKenzie was on TSN 1040 talking about the Colorado Avalanche. Something has to give in Colorado, and it will likely be in the form of a trade at some point.
“I would only say this, that I’m sure they’re looking at all of their options,” continued McKenzie. “I know my colleague, Darren Dreger, reported a few weeks ago that in the summer they tried to do a deal with the Winnipeg Jets for Jacob Trouba and that there was talk of Gabriel Landeskog going to Winnipeg for Jacob Trouba. Never obviously got off the ground.
“But patience is wearing thin in Colorado. They’ve got a core up front – Landeskog, Duchene, Nathan MacKinnon – they’re good hockey players. This team should be better than it is. The defense is obviously not as good as it should be. How do they get better? I don’t know if trading one of those guys solves the problem if they get the right defenseman; because I think as good as all of those young guys are, if you take one of them out of there you’re still leaving a pretty big hole up front. It’s not as if they’re blessed with a lineup that you would call really deep.”