Avalanche's Duchene 'sure' he could be on trading block

Missing the playoffs two years in a row often leads to change.

That's the situation in Colorado, where the Avalanche were officially eliminated from postseason contention courtesy of a loss to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.

As a result, it's quite possible general manager Joe Sakic will look to shake up the roster during the offseason, and forward Matt Duchene is well aware his name could be at the top of the trade candidate list.

"I'm sure it will be thought about," he said of possibly being dealt, according to Terry Frei of the Denver Post. "Early in the year, there were lots of rumors, and it's part of the business. All I can do is be the best I can be and play as hard as I can for my teammates and do whatever I can do to help this team win."

Back in November, it was reported the Avalanche were indeed calling around to gauge interest in the 25-year-old, and this past week, he was called out by head coach Patrick Roy for celebrating his 30th goal in a loss.

Still, Duchene clearly seems to want to be part of the long-term plan in Colorado.

"Maybe there's a bigger plan at hand here," he said. "I think it's just going to make us better. We have to take the lessons from it and move forward and continue to improve in the offseason and really remember this taste of defeat ... We have a great group in here, we all love each other and we want to stick together as long as we can."

Duchene has recorded 30 goals and 29 assists in 74 games for the Avalanche this season, and has three years remaining on his contract at a salary cap hit of $6 million.