At least two NHL teams, the Columbus Blue Jackets and Nashville Predators, have trade offers for Colorado Avalanche center Matt Duchene ahead of free agency opening on Saturday, per reports.
NHL trade rumors: Blue Jackets reportedly include Ryan Murray in trade offer for Matt Duchene
The Predators also have an offer on the table, per reports.
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TSN insider Darren Dreger reported on Friday that the two clubs had offers on the table for the 26-year-old forward, as well as indicating many other teams still held interest. Columbus Post-Dispatch reporter Aaron Portzline reported shortly afterward that any trade for Duchene to Columbus would likely include defenseman Ryan Murray.:
Murray was the second overall pick in the 2012 NHL draft behind failed Edmonton Oilers winger Nail Yakupov. The two-way defenseman has 60 points in 220 NHL games and is expendable now that Zach Werenski, Seth Jones, and David Savard have cemented themselves ahead of him in the lineup. With Jack Johnson unlikely to leave anytime soon, either, Murray would be a logical trade piece in any trade for Duchene.
It’s unclear at this time what the Predators have offered.
Duchene, the third overall pick in 2009, is almost certainly on his way out of Colorado as the franchise hits the reset button on its core after a disastrous season. The Avalanche finished with 48 points, the lowest of any NHL team since the lockout in 2004-05. Duchene’s high-water mark was a 70-point year in 2013-14, but his numbers have declined, along with the team, since.
He’s still a valuable player for any contender, so it’s no wonder that Avalanche GM Joe Sakic has waited this long for offers to match his high asking price. With free agency starting on July 1, it may not be long until Murray and Duchene swap cities.
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