Duchene: I'm just ready for the trade deadline to be over
It turns out Matt Duchene isn't a big fan of the trade deadline frenzy.
The Colorado Avalanche pivot has repeatedly seen his name come up in deadline conversations, with his club in free fall and the front office looking to spark a better effort in 2017-18.
It seems Duchene has been well aware of the chatter, and the 26-year-old said he's ready to move on.
"It's hard. It's just so unpredictable," he said to NHL.com's Adam Kimelman. "I think tomorrow I will be relieved either way with what happens. I'm just ready for this to be over and I can move on with my life. I don't think I am expecting much to happen, but you never know. You never know. It's just part of the business."
The trade deadline isn't the only thing irking the Avalanche centerman, who said the team's last-place ranking has been weighing on him.
"We're playing meaningless and we have been playing meaningless games since December," Duchene said. "It's something that kind of creeps up on you at times."
Colorado has won just 17 of 61 games this season, the fewest of any team in the NHL. The Avalanche added to their loss column Tuesday night, getting stomped 4-0 by the Philadelphia Flyers.
Duchene has 16 goals through 56 appearances this season, leading the team in that regard while ranking second in points (36) behind Nathan MacKinnon.