Kukla's Korner Hockey
Matt Duchene Slumping
by Paul on 10/30/11 at 05:43 PM ET
Comments (2)
from Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post,
The Avalanche can’t figure out what to do with center Matt Duchene, whose star has lost a little luster at the tender age of 20, when his impatience for success has collided with coach Joe Sacco’s frustration. It’s not pretty.
“I try to skip to step 10 before I start step one. I miss some of the little things along the way,” Duchene said Saturday. “I’ve always been someone who has wanted to run before I could walk.”
With a single goal and four assists in 10 games of this young NHL season, Duchene has not been strong enough on both ends of the rink to earn the complete trust of Sacco. Here’s one number that doesn’t lie: Averaging less ice time than Paul Stastny and Ryan O’Reilly, Duchene is currently considered the team’s third-best center. How can that be possible?
“I’m not looking for Matty to be the best defensive player in the league. I want him to be the offensive player he can be. But when you’re not creating things offensively, when you’re not producing offensively, you’ve got to take care of the other stuff. You’ve got to take care of the little details,” Sacco said.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Colorado Avalanche, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: matt+duchene
Comments
If Duchene were in the Wings camp, he’d be in Grand Rapids ripening (or he would have been if drafted by Detroit).
Sacco is a pretty awful coach. I watched him for two years in the AHL, where he failed time after time. He’s not a patient person, and a kid who has relied on natural skill and confidence his entire playing life needs a real coach when that confidence gets its first real hit. This is where a green coach and a green player is a disaster.
I’d love to see Bertuzzi in an Avs sweater. That would be high comedy. Those dolts would probably retire his number after six shifts on ice.
Posted by redxblack from Akron Ohio on 10/31/11 at 01:54 PM ET
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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.
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Wild-ass no sense trade of the day…Duchene for ‘Tuzzi.
What? I’m crazy? What about the Dive’s big trade last year?
Posted by mrfluffy from Long Beach on 10/30/11 at 07:19 PM ET