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Vegas Golden Knights: Shea Theodore for Matt Duchene

By Ryan Hoff |
CALGARY, AB - MARCH 27: Matt Duchene
CALGARY, AB - MARCH 27: Matt Duchene

The Vegas Golden Knights inaugural season starts in less than a month.

The Vegas Golden Knights have little to no chance that they will be making the playoffs. I have thought of a way they could make some noise in regular season though. There is one player that could change everything, and that player is Matt Duchene.

Theodore for Duchene

What do the Vegas Golden Knights have a lot of? Defensemen, and good ones too. What do the Colorado Avalanche have? Forward and again good ones too. The defensemen that came to mind was Shea Theadore. Now, obviously it wouldn’t be a one-for-one deal, I will get to the rest in a moment.

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Vegas needs a number one center right now. James Neal is their best winger, and he has nobody to feed him passes. During his time in Nashville, Neal was playing with Ryan Johansen. Neal had three great seasons playing with Johansen, earning a total of 136 points in 219 games. Without a good centermen, his numbers could drop.

Yes, Vegas has some good and promising center prospects, but nobody who can play right now. Vadim Shipachyov is their closes thing to a number one center, but he has never played an NHL game. He will not have any luck taking face-offs against players like Bergeron, Toews or Crosby. It will take time for Shipachyov to adjust, but who knows. Sometimes it’s hard to tell how well KHL players will do in their first year in the NHL.

I do not think the Golden Knights should take that chance. By getting Duchene, they can move Shipachyov to the second line and have him adjust to the NHL better. Losing a player like Theadore will be a huge blow to the Knights, but sacrifices have to be made. Nate Schmidt, Brayden McNabb, and Colin Miller will make up for the loss of Theadore.

Here is how I would see this trade happening:

When we get to the rest of the trade, this is where I’m struggling. It’s hard to tell how high each players trade value is. I mean they both have to be high since they are phenomenal players. I know it is possible for this deal to go one-for-one, I mean the Edmonton Oilers traded Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson. The thing is with this deal, Theadore is only 22 years old. He is young and has time to develop into greatness.

TheColorado Avalanche receive Theodore, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, and a 2019 fourth round pick from the Vegas Golden Knights for Duchene and a 2019 third round pick.

I already can see people disliking this. I am not great at discussing draft picks. It’s to early to tell how good the 2019 draft class is going to be since it is only the start of the season. The addition with Bellemare is because of Duchene’s trade value. Since Duchene is only 26, he is still in his prime. I believe the addition of Bellemare just sweetens the deal for the Avalanche.

Next: 2017-18 Regular Season Predictions

Overview

I believe that this trade will work out for both ends. The Golden Knights get a number one center that they desperately need and Shipachyov moves to the second line center position. The Avalanche get a solid defensemen to be paired with Nikita Zadorov. I believe this is a win-win trade for both teams.

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