How The Matt Duchene Trade Became Joe Sakic's Masterpiece | NHL Trade Trees

Steve Dangle explains how Joe Sakic's eventual trade of Matt Duchene helped shape the Colorado Avalanche into the Stanley Cup contending team they are today.
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[@Salat867]

16-17 Colorado Avalanche 2:16 19-20 Detroit Red Wings; Hold my Octopus

[@bowbear1048]

Soulat Farooq amazing

[@despanjab5239]

Even Sportsnet agrees 😂😂😂

[@junoh4576]

At least we get lefreniere.

[@Oscar-is-dope-af]

This is the best comment I’ve seen in a while

[@quinlanb7193]

Junyoung Oh LaFrenière is in the draft lottery gods hands now

[@reyjusuf]

What a trade. Brought home the cup. And Ottawa collapsing in 2018-2019 turned the draft pick into #4th overall and Bowen Byram.

[@kobyschechter8163]

It’s funny because in 2019, the Senators finished dead last in the standings and that pick lost all three lotteries and dropped to #4. Just like 2017 when COL finished dead last with a 22-56-4 record (48 points). One of the worst seasons ever in modern NHL history.

[@bernardomontesdeoca130]

So, I'm taking Sakic to negotiate my mortgage. I'll leave the bank with no debt, two houses and more money

[@robertarnold7187]

Don’t forget to ask for a cup. Tupperware even.:)

[@marie2274]

Don't forget your toaster.

[@JerBuster77]

Matt Duchene wanted to play for a playoff team. Well that team(Predators) got swept by the Avs in the first round, who went on to become the 2022 Stanley Cup champions. Thank you Matt!

[@Devidra48]

He wanted to play playoff hockey. He went to the Nashville Predators, and proceeded to lose playoff hockey

[@vucko3494]

This trade just won them a cup, and I think there will be more to come.

[@Kelavela1]

@vucko hi, new to the NHL and just wondering if you know where I can find info on how this trade developed to lead to the Colorado winning the cup. Any help is much appreciated. Have a nice day!

[@sub2technoblade849]

@@Kelavela1 as a avs fan this pretty much gave us the team we have this year look at the Québec Nordiques trade and you can see the similarity between these trade as the person we is our gm now learned from the gm back then when he was still a player with us

[@pinkfloyd4405]

@@Kelavela1 I mean this video isn't the whole story leading them to the cup -- lot of big moves happened in the past two years but ultimately, this netted them Girard and Byram, too crucial defenseman this year (Byram especially in the playoffs run), and offloaded duchene (who I think was toxic and would be expensive on the books)

[@im.waldo.]

Tampa bay walked so colorado could run. Col could win that dynasty

[@ariccua6101]

Bowers was traded to BOS for emoji goalie, so I don't know if that counts.

[@oldoak2804]

Yzerman and Sakic saved their respective teams as players in the 90s, now they're saving their teams as GMs in the 20s

[@johnnythemachine6949]

Lemieux did the same with the Pens as Player and as owner

[@HockeyFANatic09]

Joe Sakic is certainly a legend for the AVS. That being said, the AVS didn’t need any saving in the 90’s and early 2000’s. And no matter who was in Quebec at the time, that team wasn’t saved... The 2010’s were when the AVS needed saving. As a GM, Super Joe has certainly turned around the AVS.

[@TheAlphapuck5280]

@@johnnythemachine6949 Lemieux bought them... he isnt a GM and not on the same level as Sakic and Y

[@jonyancy4005]

Alpha Puck lemuiex is on a way larger level. he saved the team from leaving pittsburgh. he single handedly saved that team

[@Zalwalloo]

Lmao the Redwings are like the worst team in the league, he hasn't quite saved them yet

[@Pete-th9oq]

AND>>>>>June 26, 2022. The Colorado Avalanche WIN the Stanley Cup! Thank you Joe Sakic!

[@lisakaplan2304]

WOULD LOVE to see an update to this tree with the 2022 Stanley Cup championship run included

[@martinrosario4018]

Just 2 more wins to go

[@scott1708]

DONE! 🏆

[@Richbeans115]

Should wait until the dynasty is over to cover ALL the championships

[@KovertMailMan]

@@Richbeans115 This right here !!!

[@kasdjkfghalksjdhg]

Is the trade tree itself impacted by the cup run somehow?

[@broadcastdave]

This aged beautifully! Way to go Avs!!!!!!

[@capngeeoff]

Samuel Girard already has way more value than Kyle Turris that's for sure.

[@gurg9329]

i was so pissed when we traded him

[@tomhwm913]

By multiple times if you take their contracts into consideration (I don't even know if Turris is already a negative asset for the Preds now)

[@tgs2141]

@@gurg9329 ya but at the same time, thank god we did

[@day1avsfan907]

Girard has improved immensely since last year. He really stepped up in the playoffs n is waaay better this year

[@benjaminpita1116]

9 months late to this, but while Makar projects to be better than Girard, Girard is currently the best Avs’ defender. Holy tornade! Girard for Turris and Duchene would have already been a fair trade. Geez.

[@dakotachadwick7292]

Here after the Avs win the Cup. And mmmmmmm, this is satisfying. Thanks Matt Duchene. Requesting a trade was the best thing you could’ve done for your favorite team

[@infernosgaming8942]

Matt and Nate are the best examples of why we won the cup. Both had to stick through years of the Avs being mediocre at best, but Nate, who could've pulled a Duchene and requested a trade after the loss last year, stuck with it and kept on trucking, look where that got him.

[@kingoftrolls19]

Sakic fleeced everyone with this trade. He won it hands down

[@TheAlphapuck5280]

Every Avs fan that paid attention knew this trade was like taking a candy from a dementia-riddled Joe Biden. Sakic proved to be one of the top GM's in the league.

[@2Jim2u]

Better look again.

[@obi-wankenobi2392]

It really wasn’t a fleece at the time I would say he didn’t get enough. Which says something considering he could have gotten more from these teams lol

[@TheAlphapuck5280]

@@obi-wankenobi2392 You get rid of a 50-60 point player who has cancerous attitudes.... and you get Sam Girard. Even that trade would have been amazing.

[@welch3319]

@@obi-wankenobi2392 they got two future top 4 Dmen and starting goalie ... Just stop. Not to mention Bowers .

[@AwesomeVideoFilms]

And now two years later we are in the Stanley Cup Finals Up 3-1, crazy how things work!

[@JP_HKY]

This is my favourite trade to look at of all time. Because Duchene left Colorado to play on a playoff team, as soon as he left Colorado the aves became a playoff team and the sens went from almost Stanley cup finalists to where the avalanche were the year before! Absolutely crazy.

[@jefferyscholl]

This comment aged very well

[@haydentrumper7473]

This trade is ageing like a fine wine for Joe Sakic

[@Pijonty]

9:22 Columbus owns this pick. They got it back after Duchene left.

[@randdomize858]

Ottawa only got the pick if Duchene re-signed with the Jackets. Pretty big oversight in the video.

[@DBeau73]

@@randdomize858 Huge oversight indeed, Ottawa could have had 4 first round draft picks this year.

[@ibefullofme]

Oof

[@SCHLiMETiME]

I re-watched this today and I was extremely confused about that 2020 1st. I was scrambling trying to figure out how Columbus got their pick back for a second

[@katiemetzger3286]

Wit

[@NerdRageSC]

This trade certainly helped us bring that cup home today ;) Thanks Duchene for being a whiny baby!

[@cal8362]

Girard is a wizard, I love watching him play.

[@Awolfx]

The Human Tornado!

[@bcos4life]

Le Tornade is NASTY!!! But he projects better as a 2nd pairing DMan, which will be a big deal when Makar and Byram develop.

[@ruskokollektiv5457]

@@bcos4life His size hampers him a bit, but his zone entry and possession stats are crazy. Love the spinny boy.

[@brianhu9674]

Girard is a wizard, I love watching him play.

[@isaiahscobel]

@@bcos4life G-B-M

[@martinrosario4018]

Just like that they’re Stanley cup champs🤝👏

[@johnrivers5798]

Yeah I can say that after winning the Stanley cup I don’t think there’s any doubt this trade is Eric lindros 2.0

[@Xeteh]

Hey Producer Drew. I watch these videos to humor this dork Steve but I'm just holding out until you take over and this channel becomes an Avs channel.

[@skinflaver]

He has a face for radio.

[@noobmaster-wj3qm]

This is sportsnet it will never become any teams channel. Sportsnet covers every team

[@deanreeves1247]

@@noobmaster-wj3qm I think he was kidding.

[@liamoconnor9017]

@@noobmaster-wj3qm well Toronto then ever other team after that

[@ericfullerton4596]

Well now we know. The Cup is in Denver...cool to see how it all started to take shape!!!

[@theoneandonlyspenc]

Huge Avs fan here as well. I remember waiting for this trade to happen. All the analyst were so confused and thinking Sakic was crazy for not trading duchene right after he wanted out. But he took his time and got an amazing deal. Then for topper when Ottawa was bottom of the league I was soooo happy every time they lost.

[@martinrosario4018]

And now they’ve won the cup salute 🫡

[@Bloop3r]

As an Avs fan, I was happy with this deal as soon as I saw a 19 year old Girard play, regardless of everything else. Which is great as you said. Girard just had such a smooth stride that you could instantly recognize he had a place in the modern NHL. Joe has done a masterful job rebuilding the entire organization since he was given free reign instead of colluding with Roy prior to the 16-17 season. During that season, I posted a rant somewhere on the internet about how embarrassing our drafting and development had been. Other than forcing 1st round picks into the lineup immediately, nobody from our drafts panned out for nearly a decade. Guys careers were hurt by that. There was no minor league development, the AHL team was hardly even competitive most of those years. In turn they had to waste tons of money just to fill out the roster on aging veteran players. It was bad. Then Joe got full control and he started from the back and worked up. Our drafting has improved, seemingly, and we aren't forcing guys into the lineup immediately either. Also our minor league development has finally started to work as well. They actually used money to improve the AHL team this year, making it competitive while also playing a healthy amount of young players like Bowers, Timmins and Martin Kaut. I also throw in Logan O'Connor in there as well as I think he has a spot in the NHL as a depth player. But the most important thing about the Avs is this isn't the only deal Sakic has done amazing work on. He's done a great job at identifying younger players who have room to improve, the coaching has been able to help these guys improve as well. Adding guys like Burakovsky, Grubauer and Graves through trade and also Nichuskin (one of my favourite moves from the start) and Francouz in free agency on very low deals. It just allows the team do to exactly the opposite of what they HAD to do at the end of the O'Reilly (RIP) and Duchene era, which was pay 35+ year old guys for multiple years to play on the 4th line or 3rd d pair. It's been a master class by Sakic and co. since rebuilding, and it looks like we're only at the tip of the iceberg. Unlike Dangles, who I don't enjoy at all, I don't predict a cup in the next 10 years. Cause you never know, but I do believe in Sakic's hands they will be one of the best, most exciting teams in the league to watch for at least 10 years.

[@loganmclarry]

I will admit when I saw Girard play for the Preds for the first time, I wanted him on the Avs. When I found out he was part of the deal, I was ecstatic

[@MikaTuukkanen]

After seeing Girard play, I would have been okay with a one on one trade between Girard and Duchene. But nope. Avs got plenty of other asses. Including really valuable ones, like the pick that turned into Byram. I think that Roy was a big part in poor choices. It seemed like his vision did not align with Sakics and Roy seemed hesitant to try to push a hollow team to the playoffs with signing aging veterans and adding physicality. Now that Sakic runs the show alone, he can focus on his long term vision that leads to constant improvement due to avoiding hasty short term decisions.

[@sheldonrooney4460]

What is really under rated in this trade is flipping the Nashville second rounder, knowing annunen would be available in the third and grabbing him. Looks like he's on track to be an NHL starter (hopefully).

[@loganmclarry]

@@sheldonrooney4460 One thing Steve didn't mention about Annunen in this video is that he now holds the longest shutout streak in Liiga history.

[@Zalwalloo]

Yeah, that's the thing, lots of people just expect these young kids to be able to instantly go into the NFL and succeed, when a lot of them, exactly what they need it to play in the A for a season or two

[@mayoo8151]

Didn’t the 2020 first have a condition where if he didn’t resign Columbus kept the pick?? Love the trade trees during quarantine though❤️

[@martinkealey03]

yes

[@UserName-ts3sp]

yep

[@samuelhaynes9360]

Who’s watching this after the Aves won the Stanley cup in 2022

[@sw3dge]

You’re right they didn’t get Forseberg, they got Bobby Orr.

[@awhobbleyh]

Watching this today as an Avs fan absolute chefs kiss 👌

[@springbay1]

I think the trade turned out well. Really well.

[@bent6293]

As an Avs fan, frankly, I was happy to see Duchene go. He had become a ball and chain.

[@stevengutierrez6516]

Honestly the best thing that came from the 2016-17 avs season was that jerseys dropped to $50 😂😂😂

[@kobyschechter8163]

At the team store or online?

[@MrGlovesave33]

Steve , love this trade summary. Worked out very well for Sakic and the avs. Congrats on that cup win.!!!

[@codyhertzler2387]

Lindros video should be Great. So many moving pieces, draft picks, trades after the trade..... cant wait

[@bestkeeper14]

Not to mention technically 2 Lindros trades to discuss!!! excited to hear about it

[@Dutchovenderlinde]

Watching this after the Avs just won the Cup!!! Words can’t describe how amazingly this trade worked out!!

[@b16a2]

Well this aged well.

[@stephenphillips5518]

These trade trees are so awesome, Steve needs a raise!! This is one of the best shows to watch on KZbin right now. I talk about it at work all the time.

[@xzryanxzx]

Another thing this trade did, and probably the most important...Was allow Nathan MacKinnon to be the true number one centre he is. Sure maybe it was his development that allowed him to become the player he is today. But let's look at some numbers. With Matt Duchene on the team: Nathan Mackinnon: GP G A Pts 82 24 39 63 (2013/14) 64 14 24 38 (2014/15) 72 21 31 51 (2015/16) 82 16 37 53 (2016/17) For a total of 300GP 75G 131A and 206 points. Not bad. Now, here is Nathan Mackinnon's stats without Matt Duchene Nathan Mackinnon: GP G A Pts 74 39 58 97 (2017/18) 82 41 58 99 (2018/19) 69 35 58 93 (2019/20) For a total of 225GP 115G 174A and 289 Points. A legit #1 C in the NHL numbers. Maybe i'm reaching for something that isn't there, but i'll be damned if Nate the Great hasn't turned it on 180% since Duchene left the Avalanche. Just another reason why this trade is a huge W. Oh and Byram and Girard help as well!

[@Roller11111]

MacKinnon definitely had his breakout to his potential after Duchene left for sure!

[@justinlast2lastharder749]

Duchene wasn't playing Center before the Trade...Roy kept moving Duchene to the LW and playing him with Mack to try to stimulate the Offense. That's why Landeskog was playing with Grigorenko the year prior to the Trade.

[@nickdiaz4961]

The toews trade was pretty greasy too

[@infernosgaming8942]

I think it was ROR and Matt leaving. Nate, Lande, and Miko had to understand that they were the top dogs now, they had to perform or they were gone.

[@dougtieman2877]

It's really hard to argue here. I mean, his goals alone didn't just jump from one season to the next. They strapped on a rocket! He pretty well doubled all three columns from 16/17-17/18 and he sustained that for three straight seasons.

[@BondandBourne]

And now the Avalanche have gone from rock bottom to top of the mountain. The 2022 Stanley Cup Champions!

[@matty7006]

I'm a huge Colorado fan and winning the cup this past season was amazing

[@adamhobbs3684]

Couldn’t imagine how happy Bowen byram was to get drafted to Colorado

[@bookworm3283]

Imagine being a top rookie and getting drafted to a top team to boot. Very few kids get that kind of break.

[@dylanfroshaug6874]

@@bookworm3283 Tyler Seguin

[@TKCEDM]

@@bookworm3283 Not always a good thing. Better teams have less ice time to spread around.

[@bookworm3283]

@@TKCEDM not when he will fill a role they desperately need.

[@Quellebreo373]

@@dylanfroshaug6874 and then gets the cup as a rookie

[@johnjones-sv9pe]

Loved Duchene face when he got pulled from the ice mid game

[@kobyschechter8163]

I remember that night. The Avalanche were actually playing the Islanders.

[@richardtherichard26]

@@kobyschechter8163 I was there, wearing my duchene jersey. Blake Comeau got hurt and when he went to the dressing room, duchene went with him. I was hella confused and about 5 mins later my dad texted me and told me duchene got traded. I gotta admit, at the time I didn’t wanna give him up, but to see how it’s turned out ever since? Let’s just say I’m glad Burnaby joe is in charge and not me

[@richardtherichard26]

@@kobyschechter8163 I was there, wearing my duchene jersey. Blake Comeau got hurt and when he went to the dressing room, duchene went with him. I was hella confused and about 5 mins later my dad texted me and told me duchene got traded. I gotta admit, at the time I didn’t wanna give him up, but to see how it’s turned out ever since? Let’s just say I’m glad Burnaby joe is in charge and not me. Avs got blown out too if I remember correct, it was like 5, or6-1 when my gf at the time and I finally left. I wanna say that the Avs scored a couple late after when I was listening on the radio but I’m not sure

[@ryanvogt100]

Girard-Makar-Byram, the future D version of the Three-Headed Monster they’ve got for a top line. #GoAvs #AllHailCale

[@garretdavidson7254]

True but they also got graves who has highest plus minus rating and Johnson

[@ohshid7172]

@@garretdavidson7254 big Z

[@sheldonrooney4460]

@@garretdavidson7254 Makar - Byram Girard - Graves Timmins - Johnson Sounds like a solid d core. I imagine Johnson heads out when his contract is up, Z I can't see being resigned.

[@meleevids]

​@@sheldonrooney4460 Don't say that. We need Big Z

[@sheldonrooney4460]

@@meleevids for what? A big hit once every 5 games? His defensive numbers are some of the lowest in the league and the defense we have are just better than him. I love his personality and he really gets along with the guys but he only gives us some hits. Not worth it for me sorry. He's gonna get outcompeted for a spot

[@jackson5802]

I saw Matt Duchene and Joe Sakic in the same title and all I could think of was "oh boy here we go". Thanks for letting me relive my early days as an Avs fan when I was like "reffing seems like fun".

[@Cruxvae]

Stienburg is an underrated pick. He's a long term project, but he plays a very pro style game and does a lot of little things that keep bottom sixers in the good graces of their coaches.

[@Awolfx]

All I remember thinking at the time as an Avs fan was thank god the trade finally happened. Turned out it was the BIGGEST pivotal trade in recent Avalanche Franchise history.

[@shahryarchoudhry2620]

The rebuild was a long time coming for us since 2005 when the salary cap was introduced.

[@justinlast2lastharder749]

The Duchene Trade and Saga are complicated for me. You've gotta love the "High Draft Pick gets drafted by their Favorite Team and turns them around" story, but I get why Duchene wanted out. Those were very, very painful years to watch; playing must have been agony.

[@bananapanorama]

Not to mention, getting Duchene out of there (arguably) gave MacKinnon the room to break out and become the Avs MVP.

[@mayureshanmuhunthan3876]

Joe Sakic is one of the best GMs in the league

[@MrGrantHendricks]

Mayureshan Muhunthan what isn’t he good at? Snow blowing I guess.

[@djjuicyfruit]

the chungus haha! God damn snow blower forcing Sakic into retirement.

[@Kanders190]

As an Avs fan, let’s not rush to judgment after one, albeit amazing, trade. He also traded O’Reilly for what turned out to be Zadorov and Compher. Yeeeeeeeeah.

[@welch3319]

@@Kanders190 dude there was no way ROR was re-signing .... And those two are a huge part of this team right now. He did the best he could there..... Plus.... It's not like Buffalo is benefiting from now lol

[@chefgoldblum1450]

@@Kanders190 yeah that was a great trade, top 4 bruising dman, and top 9 forward that can play PK and PP.

[@mattfowler1530]

Revisiting this on the days before the 2022 SCF. Man, this is fun to watch..... :) Sakic may be a better GM than he was a player, and that's saying something! #GoAvsGo

[@brendafirebrand8810]

#FoundAWay 😉

[@liamsinger513]

As a Preds fan I thoroughly remember this trade and how absolutely confused and stunned I was at it. I remember hearing Duchene got traded and the Sens and the Preds were involved and I got so excited to think we finally have a first line center and then was told that we gave up our BEST prospect defenseman (maybe even best prospect at the time) a pick and Kamanev I couldn’t wait to see Duchene; but hearing that WE GOT KYLE TURRIS INSTEAD I damn near had a heart attack. You never make that trade to Ottawa straight up for Kyle Turris how in GODS name did you send all that to Colorado and NOT GET THE BEST PLAYER COMING BACK. I love Poile he’s made one of if not the beat D-Core in all of hockey right now and drafts NOTORIOUSLY well, but he got the wool pulled over his eyes on this trade. Granted we have Duchene now (and he’s not looking as great as we thought he would) but it still was just a ROUGH time for the Preds here.

[@shahryarchoudhry2620]

I'm glad Duchene is gone. He was a locker room cancer, hence being a journeyman.

[@brettviddal1593]

You better hope the Preds hire the Worlds best Oncologist. Matt Duchene is the definition of a locker room cancer. Already a coaching change. Get used to it.

[@DorianHolmesGuitar]

Thank you so much for doing this one Steve!

[@kensavage7657]

Historical viewpoint here. As an Avs fan, it's interesting to note that many Avs fans were underwhelmed by the return at the time. Many saw the collection of pieces coming back and thought that we "lost" the trade - since the team giving up the best player tends to be the loser. While I loved Duchene, years of losing had exposed the his mental flaws - and he had to go. At the time, Girard was a young player that many thought was undersized for the NHL. As mentioned, the Avs had a horrendous run of years with injury problems - and fans wanted tougher players to address this. Bringing in an undersized D - that was anathema to some people! Add to that, the fact that Avs drafting (outside the top 3) since 2009 (they knocked it out of the park with O'Reilly/Barrie at 33/64 that year_ was terrible - many fans did not believe that the predicted low first rounder would be worth anything, with the 2nd and 3rd being worth even less. Some Avs fans truly thought that Shane Bowers was the cornerstone of this trade, and the best part that we were getting back - though few thought very much of him. In short, a number of Avs fans thought just like Steve did - that the Avs got absolutely fleeced. Of course, hindsight is 20/20 - and it's easy to see that this trade ended up being ridiculously lopsided in favour of the Avs!

[@neroameealucard945]

This trade is basically the NHL's equivalent to the Herschel Walker Trade

[@richardtherichard26]

As a fan of both the minnesota Vikings and the Colorado Avalanche I’d have to disagree. That would probably be the lindros trade. Now, if we get a couple cups out of this one? I’ll change my mind, but don’t forget the walker trade kicked off a dallas dynasty and the Avs have yet to win anything of note in 20 years

[@Krokodilius]

JOSEPH SAKICINO, my #2 all time favourite player behind roy and ahead of forsberg and sundin. seems to be a masterful GM, stole naz from me, keeping money free to pay guys when he needs to instead of having to trade off the roster, didn't pay rantenen 11M. yes folks, he does it all.

[@demilishing]

Can't help but feel bad for Duchene, I remember when we (Avalanche lifelong fan so I get to say we) picked him and he was supposed to be our next Sakic. But hey now we have a super young skilled team so we have a chance again, next few years as Makar develops will be our golden opportunity.

[@evanpowers1185]

With two more years of hindsight for this post... yeah. This continues to be a great era for the Avs... and not so much for Nashville or Ottawa. Super Joe has lifted this franchise to greatness twice now.

[@luketrottier9388]

The fact that you didn't even mention Conor Timmins speaks volumes about what they have on the back end

[@greenfairy9002]

this a great video man, been unsure about the ones so far but this one is sick af keep it upz

[@Ziggz47]

I ALWAYS look away from the screen whenever that Nino goal comes up. IT STILL HURTS. (Die hard Avs fan since childhood). You also forgot to mention Timmins who is looking like a future NHL starter

[@shahryarchoudhry2620]

I do not even want to listen to the audio. As soon as I hear the announcer start to say those words, I immediately turn off the volume AND look away.

[@benhatcher8661]

i swear colorado has super good management, i saw the Lindros one aswell and this proves it

[@mattyukon6335]

Getting rid of Duchene even for just a dozen pucks and some tape would have been a win! Duchene was not drafted by Sakic... (Greg Sherman brought in 2 weeks before the draft also snagged O'Reilly as well as Barry during that draft, not bad) Regardless, Head Coach Joe Sacco had no meshing with the kids and Roy was brought in after Sakic took over from Sherman to instill the discipline that Sacco could not promote. It became evident that something was going on in the locker room after the early exit in the playoffs that first year under Roy. Even as a fan (yes, I was there for Game 1 in 1996) you could see Duchene was quitting on the ice. Roy eventually had enough and begged Sakic to get rid of the Duchene. Ownership said no, so Sakic was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Roy left seeing that he had a selfish quitter he could not bench. Sakic was most certainly biding his time with Duchene's $6 Million contract and setup this monster deal. Ottawa was lucky they got out after 1 season! Now the Predators are stuck with an injury prone 29 year old whiner at 7 years ($56 Million guaranteed) and a $28 Million bonus. That's gonna hurt !

[@jackmclaughlin5640]

When you say whiner you're talking about duchene not turris right? Cause Turris is as good of a team guy as they come

[@shahryarchoudhry2620]

@@jackmclaughlin5640 Of course he's talking about Duchene. The guy is a locker room cancer. No wonder he is a journeyman.

[@jackmclaughlin5640]

@@shahryarchoudhry2620 yah im dumb, he said 7 years 56 mil so ofc its duchene not turris

[@MikeTheKoopaWarrior]

Matt Duchene: A Legacy of Failure

[@twist9268]

cap. duchene is insane this season

[@alanjay2167]

I am just hoping that Grubauer and Burakovsky have success in Colorado. I enjoyed them help the Caps win a cup (there was a lot of screaming that night) and wish them the best.

[@loganmclarry]

They're doing great here! Burky is flourishing and Grubauer is doing well in a tandem with Pavel Francouz

[@dakotachadwick7292]

Burky is our third highest pt player (45) above our Captain, and highest paid player (Rantanen and Landeskog) he is having his best season ever with us and is legitimately first line talent. And Grub has been an anchor! Honestly those two are a big reason we’re right behind the Stanley Cup Champions St. L. Blues in the Western Conference by one game. And the highest point differential in the West by a wide margin.

[@scevda]

Generally speaking we have enjoyed Caps that have come our way. What an interesting relationship developed there between teams.

[@jasonsmith5226]

Hopefully there's a safe playoff start, & conclusion,& Avs/Caps meet in the Finals.

[@ryancollins3050]

Man you must be ecstatic for Grubauer now, he’s having an amazing season!

[@georgestavro6496]

much love from greece! i love these videos so much!!!

[@kyleknott1097]

Video checks out. Avs Stanley Cup Champions.

[@erkenwald_]

Erik Johnson - Kevin Shattenkirk trade tree would be amazing! Steve would love it I know it! It would involve the Halak-Miller trade (Chris Stewart), The Brayden Schenn trade (WSH '17 1st rounder from the Shattenkirk trade), How 11th overall Siemens turned out (avs we're stoked they got the highest possible pick they could with it being Top 10 protected) vs 2nd rounder multi-100 pt WHLer Ty Rattie turned out.

[@jenniferedmonds7069]

Watching in June '22. Yes, they "crushed it." Great video. And you also mentioned Kadri!

[@billflynn9962]

Sam Girard will hold the record for most spin-o-ramas in a career..

[@OnwardsUpwards]

Mason Raymond.

[@kenyonbitter8444]

Joe is the example of larceny with a smile. The Joe Sakic SMILE. QUIET,YET DEADLY

[@MultiCokedrinker]

He needs to revisit this after tonight

[@TwentyFirstCenturyDisability]

Unbelievable trade! Love your trade tree videos! Seeing this trade now, it is clear that you were BANG on in your prediction. The Avs got a GENERATION OF TALENT for a SINGLE player.

[@bobturmel7707]

Joe was such a pleasure to watch live and he is turning out to be a great GM.I am hoping for a Montreal VS Colorado finals.Legendary man is Joe Sakic!!!

[@kikijean]

❤💙❤💙 Go Avs GO! We did some AMAZING movement with that trade! Just getting Dutchy gone helped our boys out for sure! He was holding MacKinnon and the team back. Loved him, but he needed to go.

[@avinizki]

Great episode!!!

[@zhaomayne]

Next do a "How the Erik Karlsson Trade Became Pierre Dorian's Masterpiece" when Josh Norris turns into a top 6 player and Ottawa gets one of Lafreniere, Byfield, or Stutzle

[@tomhwm913]

That depends on which of their lottery picks become the better one

[@kashhenk958]

They might not get the 1, 2, or 3rd with the sharks pick, but even 6th overall is great

[@MikeTheKoopaWarrior]

Like THAT'S ever going to happen. Keep dreaming.

[@kashhenk958]

MikeTheKoopaWarrior what do you mean this comment is very realistic

[@st3vo77]

3rd actually is the sharks one haha

[@nikolinden9592]

Annunen is their goalie of the future let me tell ya .. he’s that good

[@sheldonrooney4460]

Another sneaky good deal. Rumours are that Sakic knew annunen was still going to be available so he flipped the 2nd for a 3rd (annunen) and the 6th. Underated trade at the time.

[@adamwilderson2198]

You’re forgetting about Miska

[@1madmaxx80]

Sakic is as good a GM as he was a player IMHO. He sure did guess right moving Barrie & Kerfoot for Kadri and drafting Makar.

[@danielmiller4953]

This showing up at n my feed, of all times, right before the Cup Finals. Avs v. Lighting 2022. Maybe a continuation of this tree would be good.

[@ryokii7580]

I would love to see an updated version.

[@cameronschurek3462]

Sorry Steve, love the video but Ottawa doesn't have the Columbus first rounder this year

[@brandonnhlsuperstar2517]

It was a conditional one, wish they had it tho

[@Wexter0083]

That was not even the swindle trade Ottawa did against Columbus that day. The Dzingel trade is even more hilarious! They got Anthony Duclair and a pair of 2nd Rounders without conditions on it. No offence to Dyizngel, but so far it looks like Duclair was the better player just being pegged into a third-line grinder role when he's a top 6 scorer and Dyzingle was being floated in value by Duchene. Speaking of the Duchene trade it was good. Abramov had lights out year in Bellville and Thomson looks to be a stud.

[@LucasR013]

Wexter0083 duclair was horrible the second half of this year

[@danyheatleyall-star3677]

@@LucasR013 lol like dzingel was any better

[@chrisammann9]

Roberto Luongo to the Panthers leading to Marchand to the Bruins

[@ericostby]

The tree grows again: Bowen Byram for Casey Mittelstadt.

[@jason5265]

This trade should provide a blueprint for struggling teams, in any sport, with an all-star player.

[@everythinghockey10]

As an Avs fan this made me so happy!!! :)

[@Lemonhed42000]

I'm smiling so hard right now! Thanks Steve!

[@JeikobuNippon]

Joe can do it all. One of the greatest hockey players ever, and now a master-class GM. Just look at the team he's built. #goavsgo

[@koryerickson1208]

And look now, in the Stanley Cup Finals!!! GO AVS!

[@luebbers03]

Yea after Matt blew the playoff game i was like be Gone!!! and Sakic did his job.. Still to this day Joe Sakic is a legend on and off the ice in Denver

[@soadfan1016]

Yes! I've been waiting for this one!

[@mistertwister3241]

The 2020 Blue Jackets first was conditional on Duchene re-signing with the team, which he didn't, so they only got the 2019 first, Abramov, and Davidsson.

[@dereksmith9045]

As a CBJ fan Steve gave me a mild freak out followed by some intense googling. Nice to know I'm not crazy and we still have our first. Love the trade trees Steve!

[@scottsertich564]

Great video!

[@cloudedbyagonystoppinglies219]

Ok so coming back to this right after round one of the 2020 playoffs... Kadri! I mean seriously Sakic is a magician/highway robber. The Avs could EASILY win three cups in the next five years! Sakic has built an amazing and deep roster that’s stacked top to bottom with high end talent... that’s incredibly young and all upside. They have firepower that’s unmatched. Four solid lines. Great D core. Top notch players in their pipeline that will keep them fresh for years. Solid goaltending. They have it all. Sakic deserves to be hall of fame for these moves several times over.

[@metalapollo]

This needs to be revisited.

[@The_Room_2_Doggys_Revenge]

fast forward to March 2024 : Annunen just recorded 2 straight shutouts (against arguably the worst team, I know) and Byram was traded for Mittelstadt... It's getting real good for the Avs

[@Need1738]

Joe Sakic: art of the deal

[@davidfleckenstein4521]

Producer drew hope your happy

[@seanm.palmer6998]

Welp, I'm a leafs fan in Colorado so its fun watching Naz here. I'm also an Eagles season ticket holder and watching Shane Bowers grow this past season has been a treat. Probably needs another year here in the A, but he's gonna be great piece for the avs

[@adamgallowayLFD7]

I would love to see the updated version of this trade tree 3-4 years later. Then again I bet it's still growing. With that said maybe a few more years from now see the updated version. Go Avs

[@WideTier]

“…That’s not part of this trade tree because he signed as a FA, but that’s still really, really weird…”. Even when I don’t catch one of your hysterical trade trees until it’s a couple years old I still love your sense of humor….LOL!

[@Rachy2049]

As an Avs fan, this video made me very happy

[@otherbrotherdarryl1866]

Just watched this one. (I love these trees.) The conditional first round pick Ottawa got from Columbus turned into Lassi Thomson: a right-handed Finnish D who can skate, shoot, and has a decent chance at cracking the Sens lineup this year.