Colorado Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic isn’t opposed to making big moves.
He sent Ryan O’Reilly to the Buffalo Sabres in a summer blockbuster and now another one of his young centres could be on the move this season.
Avalanche beat writer Adrian Dater suggested Colorado, currently the worst team in the Central Division, is looking to shake things up and that Matt Duchene and even Semyon Varlamov are players Sakic would consider moving.
“Any moves I might make…won’t be for a quick fix,” Sakic told Dater. “We’ve got some good young players. Our moves are going to have to make sense down the line as well. It’s tough to make deals in a cap world.”
Duchene and Varlamov are currently the Avalanche’s highest-paid players with an annual cap hits of $6 million and $5.9 million, respectively. Dater questioned why Varlamov was sitting out his third straight game Thursday night and wondered how long the Avalanche could wait on Duchene’s potential. Erik Johnson will also have a $6-million cap hit next season when his extension kicks in.
At the age of 24 Duchene, a four-time 20-goal scorer, would be a coveted commodity regardless of cost. Varlamov may also gener some interest, as he just won the Vezina Trophy in 2014.
“The cap plays a big role for all teams. Some teams are already at the cap and some teams have their own internal budgets,” Sakic added. “Everybody deals with what they’re allowed. It’s tough to make that big trade; the money’s got to even out. That’s why you see a lot of deals still at the deadline. You can take on a couple months’ salary if you think it’s the right move. It’s worth it if you really think you can win a championship.”
Heading into Thursday’s action, Duchene has 329 points in 435 career games with the Avalanche, the team that drafted him third overall in 2009.
