from Mike Chambers of the Denver Post,

Following the Avalanche’s morning skate at the Air Canada Centre, Hart Trophy candidate Nathan MacKinnon sat at his stall and addressed a throng of media for more than 20 minutes Monday.

In what was supposed to be the last question, the Avs’ star center was asked if the culture of the team improved after Matt Duchene was traded to Ottawa Nov. 5 in a three-team deal that netted Colorado seven pieces, including 19-year-old defenseman Sam Girard, who will play his 32nd game with the Avs Monday night against the Maple Leafs.

“It did a lot,” MacKinnon said of the improved culture. “There’s nothing wrong with Dutchy wanting to leave. I think it’s fair. He’s eight, nine years in this league and it wasn’t like a crazy breakup or anything. He went about it really good this season. But obviously we knew he wanted to leave. Now we have everybody here that wants to be here, which is great. If Dutchy was here I’d think we’d be in a good spot as well. He’s a really good player and obviously it’s nice to get ‘G’ (Girard) here. He’s a great defenseman.”

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