Report: Avalanche could trade Duchene, Landeskog for young defensemen

It won't come cheap, but the Colorado Avalanche are willing to listen.

The Avalanche, who own the NHL's worst record of 12-23-1 and 25 points, are set to miss the playoffs for the sixth time in the last seven seasons.

That means change is in order. It could also mean that the likes of Matt Duchene and captain Gabriel Landeskog find themselves in a new area code after the March 1 trade deadline.

To pull off that blockbuster, good young defensemen or defensive prospects would need to be sent back to Denver, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

But this isn't a total firesale, as Friedman added that Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic isn't willing to part ways with either Nathan MacKinnon or Mikko Rantanen, the team's 2015 first rounder.

The blueline remains a major area of concern for the Avalanche, with just three defensemen under contract through next season - namely Erik Johnson, Tyson Barrie, and Francois Beauchemin - while young defender Nikita Zadorov hasn't lived up to his initial billing, nor are any blue chip defenders on the way.

As for the two forwards, Duchene is under contract for the next two seasons, carrying a $6-million cap hit, while Landeskog is signed through 2020-21, at a $5.57-million AAV.