Peter Forsberg believes the Colorado Avalanche need to jettison disgruntled centre Matt Duchene out of the Mile-High City — and do it quickly.
Speaking during a Swedish broadcast of Saturday’s Avalanche-New Jersey Devils game, the former Avs great and Hall of Famer said the club should should “bench and trade” Duchene because his outward frustration “takes energy from the rest of the team.”
“Doubtful that he should be allowed to play (with Colorado),” said Forsberg, whose words were translated by Expressen reporter Robin Lindgren and also reported by the Denver Post. “Put him in the stands.
“If I were playing with a player that I know doesn’t even want to be in the team, it’s not like he is going to throw himself on the ice and block shots with his head. It is mostly difficult to have a player like that in the team, although he is skillful and is doing his best. I would rather play with someone that wants to be there. I would put him on the bench and trade him.”
Duchene was the subject of trade rumours last season while in the midst of a career-low 41-point campaign. The Avalanche finished in last place with 48 points, the lowest single-season total of any NHL team in the salary-cap era.
Although he hasn’t publicly demanded a trade, he reported to trading camp in September saying he was only doing so to honour his contract, teammates and fans.
Duchene has a goal and an assist in two games for the Avalanche (1-1), who play a road game in Boston on Monday afternoon.
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