Matt Duchene Wanting To Stay In Columbus Means He Needs To Be Re-Signed
Wouldn’t it be great if the Columbus Blue Jackets could re-sign Matt Duchene? It appears like he wants to stay with the team. Assuming his comments weren’t fake. (Which I’d doubt they were.) While the Jackets will have a hard time keeping Arttemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovski, Duchene is the only one who’s come out and said he wishes to stay.
“I’ve been so happy to be a Blue Jacket and been grateful to be here. Obviously, it would be a great thing if it could continue. We’ll see what happens.”
These were the words spoken by Duchene during his exit interview. As it stands now, he’s the most likely to sign a new contract with Columbus. While Panarin and Bob were integral to the Jackets success this season, Duchene isn’t a consolation prize. Signing him is a move that signals the Jackets intend to compete next season.
It’s impossible for the Jackets to replace Panarin or Bob. Yet, the team does have the talent to ease the pain. Players such as Oilver Bjorkstrand and Alexander Texier, could play a bigger role in the offense, picking up some of the scoring slack of Panarin. Jonas Korpisalo has proven to be a fantastic backup goalie, and could easily step into the starters role with success. As crazy as it sounds, Duchene is the one the team needs to keep.
While Pierre-Luc Dubois is slotted in as the team’s first line center, Duchene is the best playmaker. And while Dubois, going into his third season, will only get better, Duchene is one of the NHL’s best at setting up teammates. We see this just by looking at Duchene’s stats this postseason.
Duchene scored in 6 of his 10 playoff games for the Jackets. He contributed 5 goals and 5 assists. Having him was key to the Columbus run.
Seeing as he never got a full season with the Jackets, if Duchene can become comfortable in the city and settle down, he’ll definitely play with a bit more fire. This just adds to the value he has. Perhaps Duchene wasn’t playing at his best last season
It’s crazy to think we might not have seen the best of Matt Duchene in Columbus. All the team needs to do is add one or two free agents outside of him to remain competitive. Duchene doesn’t need much to make an impact. With the talent the Jackets still have, the playoffs are almost a lock for next season as well.
The writing is on the wall. Matt Duchene wants to stay in Columbus. It’s up to the front office to make the decision of whether to re-sign him. The decision should be fairly obvious. He was a vital part of the team last season. Keeping Duchene around is of most importance.
Image Source: New York Post via AP
Daniel is a guru of baseball and basketball prospects. He’s a very experienced Amusement Park traveler as well. Follow him and his hot takes on Insta @dgentleman9288
