Matt Duchene didn't set out to make anyone look bad nearly a decade later. But that's exactly what his old exit from Colorado is doing to Connor Hellebuyck right now.
Duchene wanted out of the Avalanche just as badly as Hellebuyck wants out of Winnipeg. The situations line up almost perfectly, except for one detail.
Duchene requested a trade after Colorado finished 22-56-4 in 2016-17, with everyone around the league knowing exactly where he stood.
When training camp opened that September, he still walked through the door.
"I'm here to honor my contract. I'm here out of respect for the fans. I'm here for my teammates," Duchene said at the time.
Colorado eventually traded him to Ottawa, landing Samuel Girard in return, a piece that helped the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2022. Duchene never got that ring himself.
Hellebuyck publicly confirmed his own trade request in August, saying he believed moving on was best for himself and his family.
Why one old decision is aging so well right now
When Winnipeg opened training camp this week, Hellebuyck simply didn't show up. The Jets suspended him almost immediately for the breach.
That's the contrast doing all the damage here. Duchene's arrival at camp, even visibly uncomfortable and clearly wanting out, now reads as the professional standard Hellebuyck failed to meet.
Hellebuyck posted an .895 save percentage across 57 games last season, and his résumé, three Vezina Trophies and a Hart Trophy, remains one of the best in the sport.
None of that talent is in question. What's in question is how a decorated player chooses to handle wanting out, and Duchene's old playbook is suddenly the measuring stick.
GM Kevin Cheveldayoff now has to manage a trade market complicated by exactly the kind of public standoff Duchene's Colorado camp arrival never created for the Avalanche.
Duchene didn't want to be there. He showed up anyway. Nearly nine years later, that quiet decision is making someone else's very public one look a lot worse by comparison.
Should Connor Hellebuyck have followed Matt Duchene's example and reported to camp?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
The real issue threatening the Oilers is not what fans expect and needs to be addressed quickly
