Vancouver Canucks: 3 Trade Proposals for Matt Duchene

Chris Tanev

Get ready for offer No. 1:

Why Vancouver does it:

Chris Tanev is the Canucks’ top defenceman, and he is one of the best shutdown D-men in the league. The 27-year-old is criminally underrated among NHL fans, but general managers and coaches know what he provides. So, there is no doubt that Vancouver would hate to let him go.

However, the Canucks’ defensive group looks relatively strong right now. With Ben Hutton, Nikita Tryamkin, Troy Stecher, Erik Gudbranson, Olli Juolevi and Jordan Subban, they have a solid group of youngsters as well. We don’t know what they will become, but they should be a very good group for many years.

What the Canucks are lacking is offensive firepower, and Duchene would provide that. Getting a first-line centre could take this team a long way.

Why Colorado does it:

Let’s start with a question: How young is “young”? Tanev is only 27, so he should still have a few years in him before he starts to decline. But, if the Avs are specifically asking for a young player, Tanev might be too old to qualify.

Still, Tanev is only a year older than Duchene, and he would become an incredibly important piece of the Avs’ D-core. Like the Canucks, the Avalanche are a terrible possession team. Plus, they rank third-last in goals against. Tanev knows how to keep attackers away from the net, which would be invaluable for Colorado.

Since Duchene still has the higher potential, the Canucks add this year’s first-round draft pick, which will help the Avs assemble more talent for the future.