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Matt Duchene

Semyon Varlamov Set To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery

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A tough season is only getting worse for the Colorado Avalanche. Earlier today a report surfaced indicating that star center Matt Duchene would be open to a trade from Colorado. On the heels of that news, The Denver Post’s Terry Frei is reporting that Semyon Varlamov will undergo season-ending surgery to solve the groin issues that have plagued the team’s #1 goalie this season.

Varlamov has struggled to stay on the ice this season due to the groin issues and the team’s medical staff finally decided the best course of action would be surgery. The hope, according to Avalanche GM Joe Sakic, is to have Varlamov fully healthy and ready to go for training camp next summer.

“After further evaluation from our team doctors, it was determined that the best road to recovery was surgery. Doing this procedure at this time ensures that Semyon will be fully healthy for the start of training camp.”

The 28-year-old netminder was in the midst of the worst statistical season of his career, winning just six of his 23 starts while posting a GAA of 3.38 and a S% of 0.898. Varlamov has battled inconsistency throughout his nine-year NHL career but when he is on he has shown he can be one of the better goalies in the league. As recently as the 2013-14 campaign, the Russian backstop finished second in Vezina trophy voting after winning 41 games while registering a GAA of 2.41 and a S% of 0.927. He has two seasons remaining on a contract that calls for a $5.9MM cap charge.

In the interim, Frei suggests the team will stick with Pickard and current backup, Spencer Martin, for the balance of the current season. It wouldn’t make sense for the team to sacrifice assets for a stopgap alternative in the midst of a lost season. However, if a long-term option were to be made available, it wouldn’t be entirely surprising to see the Avalanche entertain a move in that direction; especially if they harbor doubts about both Varlamov and Pickard as reliable starting goalies moving forward.

The Avalanche will have an interesting decision to make ahead of the June expansion draft. They will have to expose one goalie under contract for the 2017-18 season and it’s likely that netminder will be Varlamov. However, Calvin Pickard, who has taken over between the pipes in Varlamov’s absence, hasn’t exactly grabbed the starting job with his play this season. He has posted a S% of 0.906 with a GAA of more than three in 23 appearances in 2016-17. At this point it seems unlikely that the Vegas Golden Knights would gamble on Varlamov and his cap hit but it’s too early to dismiss the possibility altogether.

 

Duchene Reportedly Open To Trade

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Matt Duchene, frequently a subject of trade rumors this season, is open to being dealt from last-place Colorado, according to The Denver Post’s Mark Kiszla. The scribe spoke to the gifted center who told him that he understands the business side of the game and that he would be ready to move on from the only NHL home he has ever known.

“I’m open to it,” Duchene said Wednesday. “When I say open to it, I know it’s part of the business, and it’s something that might happen. I’m not hiding from it. I’m not running away. I’m not banging my head. I understand it’s part of what we deal with as pro athletes.”

“The trade rumor stuff is part of the business. I understand that at this juncture of the season, (with) the way things are going, something may happen, something may not. We’ll see.”

With the Colorado Avalanche’s season effectively off the rails it’s become clear the roster, as presently constructed, is fatally flawed. GM Joe Sakic has demonstrated tremendous faith in the core he’s helped assemble but it’s clear the time has come to move on and start over. Dealing Duchene would potentially represent the first major step in that direction.

There would be no shortage of suitors interested in adding the skilled Duchene. The 26-year-old center has tallied 20 goals or more in five of his seven full seasons and with 15 in 41 contests it’s a near certainty he will again reach that threshold during the 2016-17 campaign. Over his career, Duchene has averaged 26.2 goals for every 82 games played at the NHL level. There isn’t a team in the league who wouldn’t like to add that type of production to their lineup; the question is what it would cost to do so.

In desperate need to upgrade the blue line, the Avalanche will likely insist on a high-end, young defenseman to headline any trade packages for Duchene. Klisz suggests Colorado call Carolina to inquire about Denver native Jaccob Slavin. The 22-year-old Slavin is in his second NHL season and has tallied 17 points in 47 games for the Hurricanes. As a rookie, he registered a 20-point campaign in 63 appearances. Slavin would appear to represent a solid starting point in potential negotiations, but it’s likely the Avalanche would seek more in any deal for Duchene.

The Hurricanes would certainly welcome a boost to their mediocre offensive attack but how high of a price are they willing to pay? The team does boast an enviable group of blue liners, including those already at the NHL level and in their prospect pipeline, and a case could be made that Duchene is exactly the type of proven player the team should target. With two more seasons on his deal coming with a cap hit of $6MM, Duchene is a player who can help Carolina both today and into the future.

While other names have been linked to trade rumors in Colorado, such as that of team captain Gabriel Landeskog, it seems most likely Duchene will be on the move sooner rather than later. With his track record of individual success – including multiple gold medals representing Team Canada on the international circuit – age, and contractual control, clubs will be willing to pony up the necessary assets to pry the pivot away from Colorado.

Atlantic Notes: Yandle, Gionta, Duchene, Coreau

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Although things haven’t gone the way the Florida Panthers expected this season, GM and interim head coach Tom Rowe is quite pleased with the play of their key offseason acquisition, defenseman Keith Yandle, he told Harvey Fialkov of the Sun-Sentinel:

“He’s fit in terrific. He’s such a positive influence on our young guys and in our locker room in general. We targeted him as our No. 1 free agent signing [because we] thought he’d really complement our forwards.”

The team was hoping he’d add another dimension to their power play but injuries to Jonathan Huberdeau, Nick Bjugstad, and Aleksander Barkov has resulted in a drop from 2015-16’s 16.9% success rate.  However, Yandle, who signed a six year, $44.45MM contract after Florida traded for his negotiating rights, leads all Panther blueliners in points with 23 and is tied for the team lead in assists with 20 (while also tying for the team lead in power play points) so their struggles can’t all be attributed to him.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Although he recently turned 38 and is slated to become an unrestricted free agent in July, Sabres captain Brian Gionta isn’t planning on retiring at the end of the season, writes John Vogl of the Buffalo News. The veteran added that he isn’t worried about his situation heading into the trade deadline either.  It’s worth noting that Gionta doesn’t have a full no-trade clause this year as he has a five team list that he can be traded to, per CapFriendly.  Gionta may not be the top six forward he was with New Jersey and Montreal but with 10 goals and 22 points on the season, he can still be a productive bottom six option on a contending team if he’s moved by March 1st.
  • While the Senators haven’t been linked to Colorado center Matt Duchene, Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen argues that they should make a run at acquiring him. Not only would he replace Clarke MacArthur who is out for the year with a concussion, his addition would also likely help their attendance, where they rank in the bottom ten league-wide.  Warren adds that the Ottawa’s window to win revolves around blueliner Erik Karlsson, whose contract expires after 2018-19 so they should be thinking about adding and winning now while he’s still on a below-market contract.  Duchene’s contract, by the way, also expires following the 2018-19 season.
  • Red Wings goalie Jared Coreau had an awful rookie professional season in 2013-14, winning just one of 25 appearances. It was there that he first met current Detroit bench boss Jeff Blashill who was very direct in telling him what needed to be done if he was to succeed as a pro, writes Nick Cotsonika of NHL.com.  Coreau credits his success since then to Blashill’s bluntness, which resulted in him losing weight, seeing a sports psychologist, and undergoing special vision training.  Having won five of his first eight decisions, the 25 year old has held his own since being recalled to cover for Jimmy Howard who has been out since late December with an MCL sprain.

Islanders Notes: Beauvillier, Rentals, Duchene

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While many are familiar with the nine game rule for junior-aged NHL players, there is a second threshold that some teams believe is even more critical, the 40 game mark.  If a junior-aged player is on an active NHL roster for 40 games, they accrue one season towards unrestricted free agency.  The key here is that games played does not matter here – if they’re on the roster, even as a healthy scratch, it still counts.

The New York Islanders find themselves in this situation with rookie winger Anthony Beauvillier.  He has played just 26 games this year (being scratched the other 13) but their next game against the Panthers will mark number 40, thus giving him an accrued season of service time towards becoming an unrestricted free agent.  (Basically, instead of being UFA-eligible at age 27, Beauvillier will be eligible at age 26.)

Considering the situation the Islanders find themselves in when it comes to the standings (dead last out of 16 teams in the Eastern Conference) and some of the struggles from their veteran players, Brian Erni of Islanders Point Blank argues that they have completely misused Beauvillier.  In a season that looks like it is going to be a losing one, he suggests that the rookie should be seeing a lot more ice time and in the lineup on a regular basis.

The situation draws some parallels to Nino Niederreiter back in 2011-12.  He too was a junior aged player who struggled to find consistent playing time while struggling veteran players were in the lineup on a regular basis.  Eventually the Swiss winger went public with his frustration and wound up being dealt to the Wild that offseason as part of the Cal Clutterbuck trade.

There’s no indication that Beauvillier, who has four goals and five assists this season, is headed down the same path as Niederreiter but his lack of recent usage has been a bit surprising and frustrating for many.  With their second half of the season fast approaching, it certainly will be interesting to see if he gets a longer leash to work with.

Other Islander notes:

  • With the Islanders likely to sell at the deadline, Newsday’s Arthur Staple takes a look at some of the potential rental players in a reader mailbag. He mentions that while goaltender Thomas Greiss may be the most attractive option to other teams, he believes that New York would like to keep him around beyond this season which could take him off the market.  He adds that Dennis Seidenberg would be another candidate to move but that they wouldn’t likely get much in return.
  • Still from Staple, he suggests that of the two Colorado forwards believed to be on the market (center Matt Duchene and winger Gabriel Landeskog), the team has more interest in Duchene despite having a greater positional need on the wing. However, he’s quick to add that the price (which would likely include their first round pick – which is shaping up to be an early one – plus a one or two top youngsters) remains far too high for GM Garth Snow to consider.

Frank Seravalli On Canadian Trade Deadlines

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In his latest column, Frank Seravalli of TSN takes a look at the upcoming trade deadlines for each of the seven Canadian clubs. The entire piece is worth a read as he goes into detail on each team, but here are some highlights.

  • The Montreal Canadiens are looking to acquire a center with size, and Arizona’s Martin Hanzal fits the bill perfectly. Even when injured #1 center Alex Galchenyuk comes back, Seravalli points to the decline of Tomas Plekanec as a concern and says the team must add size down the middle. He also mentions Matt Duchene as a different possibility, though doesn’t expect that to happen during the season.
  • The Edmonton Oilers have been beaten on at least two waiver claims over the past few weeks (and possibly a third just yesterday) for Matt Nieto and Ty Rattie, and are still looking for a right-shooting winger (though Nieto is a lefty) to plug into their third line. A right-hand shot defenseman for the powerplay would be a bonus.
  • The Maple Leafs could dangle either James van Riemsdyk or Kasperi Kapanen in trade, but are more likely to stay the course with both players at least during the season. JVR could still end up with the team long-term, and with Kapanen tearing up the AHL (and being best friends with William Nylander) he looks like a future core piece.
  • Calgary may be in a pretty solid position now that Chad Johnson has taken the reins in net, but they need to shore up their blueline a bit for a real playoff run. A second-pairing player is all they need, but may have trouble parting with what he would cost.
  • In Winnipeg, the team is likely to make minor deals if any at the deadline as they’re content with the development of their club. Seravalli points to Mathieu Perreault as a possible trade chip, as he thinks the team could be at risk of losing him this summer in the expansion draft. Drew Stafford is another name that could be moved out to make room for prospect Kyle Connor.
  • The Ottawa Senators need scoring, and they need it bad. If the Maple Leafs weren’t in the same division, van Riemsdyk would be a likely target but they’ll have to look elsewhere for a new top line left winger. Unless of course Clarke MacArthur can come back close to 100% and add depth to their wings.
  • The Vancouver Canucks remain a mystery to media and fans alike, and Seravalli isn’t sure what to expect from them. A scoring winger is an option to help now and down the road, but an improvement in draft picks is what the team really needs. Even though they may miss the playoffs again, they only own five picks at this summer’s entry draft (rounds 1, 2, 3, 4, 7).

Latest Colorado Trade Talk

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The Colorado Avalanche have been in discussions with the Boston Bruins regarding left winger and captain Gabriel Landeskog, reports longtime Colorado writer Adrian Dater, currently with Bleacher Report (all links to Twitter).

The Avs are in need of quality young defensemen and asked for rookie Brandon Carlo but the Bruins aren’t willing to move him at this time.  Dater suggests that young blueliners Jakub Zboril and Joe Morrow, as well as left wing prospect Jake DeBrusk could be part of a potential package for Landeskog along with their first round pick.  Making a trade like that, one where a top forward is going for predominantly a collection of futures, could constitute the beginning of a larger-scale rebuild and there’s no evidence to suggest that GM Joe Sakic is willing to consider that route at this time.

Earlier this week, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported the Avs had trade discussions regarding Landeskog around the Draft Lottery in April that would have seen them land an established defenseman in return.  The belief was that the blueliner in question was Winnipeg’s Jacob Trouba but talks regarding him never rematerialized.  Dreger also noted that Sakic is more inclined to move center Matt Duchene and that his preference is to keep Landeskog.

The 24 year old winger is in his sixth NHL season, all with Colorado and has struggled this season, collecting just 12 points (6-6-12) in 28 games.  He also carries a cap hit of just over $5.57MM, which most teams wouldn’t be able to absorb without sending some money back.  It’s worth noting that Boston is one of the few teams who could as they sit comfortably under the salary cap.

In a reader mailbag, Mike Chambers of the Denver Post suggests that Duchene is likely to fetch the biggest return but isn’t sure Sakic will move one of his top forwards now.  He wonders if the GM may wait until the offseason before deciding whether or not to change the core or to try and build around it.

The team does have several pending unrestricted free agents that could move as rental players.  Those are forwards Jarome Iginla, John Mitchell, Rene Bourque, and Andreas Martinsen plus defensemen Fedor Tyutin and Cody Goloubef although the Avalanche shouldn’t expect significant returns on any of those players.

With Colorado sitting at the bottom of the league standings with a 12-25-1 record and being 17 points out of a playoff spot, they’re a clear seller come trade deadline time.  There’s sure to be plenty of discussion regarding the likes of Landeskog and Duchene between now and then.   With so few guaranteed sellers, they’re certainly a team to watch in the weeks ahead.

PHR Mailbag: Duchene, Gaudreau, Julien

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Over the last few days, we’ve taken your mailbag questions on Twitter using the hashtag #PHRMailbag.  Here are the inquiries for our inaugural mailbag:

@DAN35NY: what would the rangers have to give to get Duchene can girardi a prospect and 2 2nd rounders

The Avalanche have a nice collection of talent up front with the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, and Mikko Rantanen on top of Matt Duchene.  Unfortunately for them, their defense corps is an area of weakness, both in the short-term and long-term.  Accordingly, if they’re going to move Duchene, something they’re at least willing to consider, a good young defender would need to be part of the deal.

That presents a bit of a challenge for the Rangers who really only have one young impact defensemen on their roster in Brady Skjei.  They’re not likely to have interest in Dan Girardi and Marc Staal as their preference would be to add someone whose age is close to the rest of the core of their team.  Ryan McDonagh is relatively close in age and has the same team control with a somewhat comparable cap hit ($6MM for Duchene versus $4.7MM for McDonagh) and if GM Joe Sakic wanted to do a one-for-one deal to shake up the core similar to the Adam Larsson–Taylor Hall swap over the offseason, that would probably be something he’d consider.

Based on their reported asking price from the Islanders (where players like Travis Hamonic and Anthony Beauvillier were mentioned on top of other players), it seems that the Avs are more interested in youngsters that can help now over future draft picks.  For the Rangers, that would likely mean players like wingers Jimmy Vesey and Pavel Buchnevich would be sought after along with Skjei.  Overall, I don’t see a great fit trade wise between the two teams when it comes to Duchene as I believe Colorado’s preference is to get a top pairing blueliner (or someone with that type of potential) in exchange for their top line forward and that’s something the Rangers just don’t really seem to have available.

@WG894: J.Gaudreau gets 3yr ELC in 13/14 & played 1 NHL game in 13/14 so how did he sign 6yr deal? 13/14 ELC slide,no?

The slide rule only pertains to players that are junior aged (18 and 19).  At the time that he signed his entry level deal, Gaudreau was already older than that so he wasn’t eligible for a slide.

The contract was signed at a time that allowed Gaudreau to burn the first year of his rookie contract by playing just one game, a common enticement offered to college players to get them to forego the remainder of their college eligibility.  That way, the player gets the full signing bonus, a few days of NHL pay, and gets to restricted free agency one year earlier.  It’s a small price to pay to ensure the team gets the player under contract.

I don’t think either side is unhappy with how things turned out.  Gaudreau has turned into a legitimate top line forward and as a result of being able to burn the first year of his entry level pact with just one game played back in 2014, he was able to get the big bucks quickly.

@bamoro31: What are the Bruins doing?? Can’t score some nights don’t show up others. Coaching change??

There has been plenty of speculation in recent years regarding whether or not the Bruins should make a coaching change.  I thought they took a bit of a step back in the offseason so they’re about where I thought they’d be standings-wise, hanging around the edge of the postseason near the halfway mark.  From that standpoint, I wouldn’t lean towards making a change if I’m GM Don Sweeney.

The fact they’ve come out listless a few too many times though is a concern, especially when you’re a bubble team in the standings.  Pretty much every team deals with inconsistency at times during the year, even the top ones but a lack of energy is never ideal.

Claude Julien is one of the longest-tenured coaches in the league and there’s an argument to be made that his message is growing stale and that’s why the effort level isn’t there every night.  But I wouldn’t pull the trigger on a firing just yet.  If Sweeney thinks this is a playoff team (and they’re right in the hunt), I’d be more inclined from his perspective to try to add to the roster first.  Then if the team continues to scuffle down the stretch, it might be the time to make a change either late in the year or in the offseason.

Avalanche Prefer To Trade Duchene Over Landeskog

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It’s often said that NHL GMs are liable to throw an anvil to a struggling NHL team instead of a life preserver.

Joe Sakic probably knows that better than anyone. The Colorado Avalanche GM is taking calls on several key players on his team, including Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog, Tyson Barrie, and Jarome Iginla.

TSN Insider Darren Dreger appeared on Montreal radio on Tuesday morning, and offered some insight on what he believes Sakic is thinking. Many insiders have suggested that Sakic will only make a trade if it’s clear why.

Dreger wondered if “they’re better off to just hold tight and see where they’re at on March 1 or around March 1. If they’re still a 30th-place team at that point, then I think it becomes abundantly obvious… that they’re playing for the draft.”

However, Dreger suggests that if a team offers “what [the Avalanche] might need in a collection of draft picks or young prospects, why wouldn’t you consider trading Duchene?”

The two players who have keyed in the most trade discussions are Duchene and Landeskog. Dreger mentioned that there was a potential deal involving Landeskog for a defenseman around the draft lottery in April, but that talk died down. It was widely believed that said defenseman was Jacob Trouba. Now, Dreger believes that Sakic is “more inclined” to trade Duchene instead of Landeskog, saying he doesn’t “believe that Sakic really wants to move him.”

Duchene will likely have more value than Landeskog, as a speedy first-line center who is a proven point-producer. He’s also appeared on Team Canada at the last two best-on-best tournaments. In addition, the Avalanche have 2013 first-overall-pick Nathan MacKinnon as a built-in replacement for Duchene. That’s not to say Landeskog doesn’t have characteristics (big, tough, point-producing winger) that would be popular among NHL GMs, but Duchene would definitely fetch a pretty price for the Avalanche, who clearly need to make some serious changes.

Dater’s Latest: Trades, Duchene, Landeskog

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In the most recent edition of “Avalanche Talk with Adrian Dater,” a podcast appearing on 5280 Sports Network, longtime Colorado Avalanche scribe Adrian Dater offers his thoughts on the team’s dreadful season and what he would do if he was in the GM’s chair to fix the issues. The whole podcast is well worth a listen but here are a few of the highlights.

  • On the cause of the team’s struggles, Dater points to the young core receiving lucrative long-term deals before helping to lead the team to any real on-ice success as a contributing factor. He suggests that without the added motivation of earning a big contract, complacency set in leading to some of the Avalanche’s issues. Matt Duchene inked his five-year, $30MM extension prior to the 2013-14 campaign and on the heels of a nearly point-per-game performance. Later that summer, Gabriel Landeskog was awarded a seven-year, $39MM deal. Midway through the 2013-14 season Colorado also extended goalie Semyon Varlamov with a five-year, $29.5MM pact. The other members of the team’s core, Erik Johnson, Nathan MacKinnon and Tyson Barrie, have all agreed to new deals since the start of the 2015-16 season. The Avalanche have made the playoffs just once in the last seven seasons and were eliminated in the first round in 2014, perhaps lending further validity to Dater’s hypothesis.
  • In terms of fixing the team, Dater isolated the blue line corps and suggested the club should pursue two young top-four defensemen while utilizing their 2017 first-round pick and one of Landeskog or Duchene as bait. As it stands now, the Avalanche own the worst record in the league at 12 – 22 – 4. Should that remain the case at the conclusion of the season, the Avalanche would be guaranteed one of the top two selections in June’s drat. Nonetheless, Dater opines that this crop of draft-eligible prospects lacks the flair of past years and Colorado would be better suited to cash the pick into a top-flight young blue liner. He also argues that Duchene likely has more value on the trade market than Landeskog and would also be able to return the Avalanche another solid defender. Among the names Dater mentions as the type of players the team should target are Jacob Trouba of Winnipeg and Colton Parayko of St. Louis. To be clear, Dater wasn’t reporting on any specific rumor he has heard or even suggesting the defensemen are in play in any trade discussions; he was simply identifying Trouba and Parayko as the type of players the team needs to improve their overall defensive play.
  • Dater also mentions that Landeskog, the team’s captain, is playing through an undisclosed lower-body injury and that might be a factor in the player’s offensive struggles this season. In 25 appearances, the Swedish winger has just six goals and 11 points, numbers far below the normal expectations of a top-six forward. His track record also suggest better production as he has tallied 20 or more goals in each of the three previous campaigns. Landeskog missed 10 games earlier this season with a lower-body injury and it’s possible the issues Dater alluded to are related to the prior problem. His so-far underwhelming production is further evidence that he wouldn’t have as much value in a potential trade as Duchene.

Metropolitan Notes: Islanders, Devils, Miller, Nash

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The New York Islanders looked into what it would cost to acquire Colorado center Matt Duchene, Newsday’s Arthur Staple reports in a reader mailbag.  However, the Isles experienced some “sticker shock” with regards to how high the cost would be.

Duchene has three years remaining on his contract (including this season) and potentially could provide the team with a bit of insurance behind captain John Tavares, a potential unrestricted agent in the summer of 2018.  However, as the two play the same position, he wouldn’t necessarily be a fit alongside Tavares, something the team has been searching for this season as newcomer Andrew Ladd has not been able to thrive in that role.

Staple also provided an update on injured center Mikhail Grabovski.  The 32 year old has been dealing with a concussion all season long and is nowhere near close to returning to the lineup.  Staple notes that the assumption in training camp was that Grabovski was never going to be cleared to play.  He has another year left on his contract after this season with a cap hit of $5MM.

Elsewhere in the Metropolitan Division:

  • While defense and strong goaltending have been the hallmarks of the Devils for many years now, that hasn’t been the case lately, writes Chris Ryan of NJ Advance Media. New Jersey has allowed four or more goals in 14 of the last 19 games, a big step back after they allowed three or more just six times through the first 16 contests.  As a result, they have seen their goals against average jump to 2.85 per game while goalie Cory Schneider is posting the worst numbers of his career.  With the Devils also being one of the lowest scoring teams in the league, their margin for error is quite slim if they want to get out of the basement of the Eastern Conference.
  • Rangers winger J.T. Miller was dropped to the fourth line during Tuesday’s victory against Ottawa and head coach Alain Vigneault has not been pleased with his play as of late, notes Larry Brooks of the New York Post. The bench boss believes Miller needs to be better in his decision making, particularly when it comes to not forcing things and just making the safer play.  Not only has he been moved to the fourth line for now, the Rangers have also dropped him off their second power play unit.  After a hot start to the season with 18 points in 20 games, Miller has been much quieter since then, recording just four points in his last 17 outings.
  • Brett Cyrgalis, also of the New York Post, provided an update (Twitter link) on injured Rangers winger Rick Nash, who is out with a groin injury for the second time this month. He’s not yet ready to practice with the team but hopes to skate on his own on Friday.  However, Nash told Cyrgalis that he is still “a while away” from being ready to return to the lineup.  Nash is second on the team in goals with 13 this season, one behind team leader Michael Grabner.

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