Darren Dreger of TSN was back on the radio today with WGR 550’s The Instigators, and spoke about several things including the continuing saga of Matt Duchene. Citing his knowledge of CAA and Pat Brisson, Duchene’s agent, Dreger believes that at some point someone will “step up” and make sure a deal gets done before training camp. Brisson has apparently been “persistent” with his belief that the best thing for Duchene is to move on, and not be forced back into the Avalanche dressing room.
Dreger goes on to discuss how Adam Foote has left the Avalanche organization, moving on from his development position with the team (though he continues to be listed on their website as such). Foote’s son Cal was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in this year’s draft, but Dreger was still surprised that the team would allow him to walk away after using the fourth-overall pick on defenseman Cale Makar. It’s not clear why Foote left the team, but there is no evidence of animosity between the two sides at this point.
On Duchene, it’s interesting that there is still this belief that he will be moved before training camp starts, as we’re just a few weeks away from players reporting to their teams. If there are still plans to move on from Duchene for this season, one would think a deal could have been made already. Many teams have exhausted their budgets in free agency, and would need to move salary out to accommodate Duchene’s $6MM cap hit, limiting his market somewhat. If Colorado GM Joe Sakic is still adamant on fleecing someone in trade, there may be no other option than to bring Duchene back into the mix for at least the first part of the season.