Former Avalanche Star Did What Connor Hellebuyck Refused To Do

Matt Duchene may still be an unpopular subject in Colorado, but recent events around the NHL have made one thing worth reconsidering: for all the frustration surrounding his departure from the Avalanche, Duchene never stopped showing up.

That matters now.

After Colorado finished the 2016-17 season with a 22-56-4 record, Duchene wanted out. He had grown tired of playing for a team that appeared to be going nowhere, and his desire for a trade was hardly a secret. The Avalanche eventually dealt him to the Ottawa Senators in a three-team blockbuster with the Nashville Predators.

Everyone knows what happened from there.

Colorado acquired a collection of assets in the trade, most notably defenseman Samuel Girard, who would go on to become an important piece of the Avalanche's blue line. A few years later, Colorado lifted the Stanley Cup in 2022.

Duchene never did.

That history has made it easy for Avalanche fans to look back at Duchene's time in Colorado with resentment. He wanted out. He didn't want to be part of the rebuild. He wanted to play meaningful hockey somewhere else.

And, frankly, he had every right to feel that way.

But there is something Duchene deserves more credit for, particularly in light of what is happening in Winnipeg right now.

He showed up.

Duchene may have desperately wanted to leave Colorado, but when training camp opened in September 2017, he reported. He didn't refuse to participate. He didn't force the organization to suspend him. He didn't abandon his teammates because he was unhappy with the direction of the franchise.

Instead, he walked into camp knowing full well that everyone knew he wanted to be traded.

You could see the awkwardness of the situation. Duchene wasn't exactly pretending everything was perfect. His body language told a different story, and there was little reason to believe he suddenly wanted to spend the rest of his career in Colorado.

But he was there.

"I'm here to honor my contract. I'm here out of respect for the fans. I'm here for my teammates," Duchene told reporters when he arrived at training camp.

Those words are easy to overlook nearly a decade later, but they carry considerably more weight when viewed through the lens of what is happening with Connor Hellebuyck.

Hellebuyck also wanted out. He publicly confirmed his trade request in August, saying he believed moving on was the best path for himself and his family. But when the Jets opened training camp this week, Hellebuyck did not report. Winnipeg subsequently suspended its star goaltender for an obvious breach of his contract and a lack of professionalism. 

There is an important distinction between the two situations.

Hellebuyck is not wrong for wanting a trade. Players have careers to consider, and asking an organization to explore a move is not inherently disrespectful. In fact, Hellebuyck said he had initially tried to handle the situation privately and respectfully before making his request public.

But once a player chooses not to report, the situation changes.

Duchene understood that distinction.

And while Hellebuyck has something Duchene never managed to obtain — an Olympic gold medal with Team USA at the 2026 Milano Cortina Games — his current situation in Winnipeg has put a different part of his professional reputation under the microscope. His accomplishments on the ice are difficult to dispute, but what happens when a player no longer wants to be where he is can become just as significant as what he does once the puck drops.

His NHL résumé is also difficult to dispute. Three Vezina Trophies, a Hart Trophy and an Olympic gold medal make Hellebuyck one of the most decorated goaltenders of his generation.

But talent has never been the only consideration when an organization evaluates a player.

Trust matters. Commitment matters. Teammates matter.

And now Winnipeg has to navigate a situation in which its franchise goaltender has requested a trade and then failed to report to camp.

That may make an already complicated trade market even more difficult to navigate.

There is an old saying in sports that great players can get away with things other players cannot. Patrick Roy is perhaps one of the clearest examples in Avalanche history. Roy was notoriously intense, demanding and, at times, difficult. But he also helped Colorado win games and Stanley Cups, making the relationship worth navigating for an organization that ultimately benefited enormously from his presence.

Hellebuyck's résumé certainly gives Winnipeg plenty of reason to value him highly. But the current circumstances create a different question for potential suitors: how much does the player himself want to be there?

That's the part of this situation that makes Duchene's departure worth revisiting.

He didn't want to be in Colorado. Everyone knew it.

But he still put on the sweater, walked into camp and went to work.

And nearly nine years later, perhaps he deserves a little more credit for that than he ever received in Colorado.