The on-going Matt Duchene debacle has been the attention of the Colorado Avalanche for some time. Duchene, clearly disgruntled with his team, looks to be on the way out of Colorado. There have been numerous rumors circulating as to where the star forward will end up if he does get traded.
But, for the time being, Duchene is still apart of the Avalanche. This has prompted former Avs center and Hockey Hall of Famer Peter Forsberg to chime in during a Swedish broadcast of the Colorado-New Jersey game on what he would do with Duchene. Forsberg was a guest analyst for the broadcast, stating that Colorado should “bench and trade” the star-center.
Forsberg’s hot-take didn’t stop there: “Doubtful that he should be allowed to play (with Colorado),” Forsberg, whose words were translated by Expressen reporter Robin Lindgren, said in the Swedish broadcast. “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.”
Forsberg went on to add that a situation like this “takes energy from the rest of the team.” I would trade him.”
Duchene reported to training camp Sept. 14, saying he was only doing so to honor his contract, teammates and fans. On Sept. 18, he was unclear about how he felt starting the season with Colorado and said he would only answer questions about the upcoming game.
