Doesn't seem like nearly enough for Duchene

We'll see. The last 2 years have taken a lot of value off Duchene's value. It's harder for other GMs to imagine trading for Duchene will improve their team, and it's impossible for them to make a stupid deal because they were scared of missing the opportunity.

The Avalanche have squandered their assets so that there isn't a clear path to being competitive until they sell everyone older than Mackinnon, and wait for Varlamov's contract to run out. You can't expect the return from 1 player to magically solve every problem the Avalanche have.

Sakic will wait, hope that the team does a lot better with Erik Johnson and try to make a better deal from there. If that doesn't work out, him or the next guy has to execute the fire sale I just mentioned. Sakic won't get the chance to wait until the next playoff trade deadline.

For a real turnaround though, the team needs to overhaul the scouting department. They don't know how to put the players they acquired in a position to succeed, they haven't contributed any prospects outside of early in the first round for a decade.

Problem is he can't wait forever. Free agency starts tomorrow. Once the frenzy begins teams may back away from Sakic and drop out of the running. That would severely hurt the return. I would not be surprised to see Duchene dealt tomorrow. One player cannot fix all the problems the Avs have and the Avs fans should understand that.