Ottawa Senators: What Can We Expect From Matt Duchene?
Following the Matt Duchene trade, I got a chance to talk to Nadia over at MileHighSticking. She’s the site expert on the Avalanche and gave me a scouting report on Matt Duchene and how he’ll fit into the Ottawa Senators.
The first thing as Ottawa Senators fans we should know about Duchene is that he’s known for his speed. “On the Avs, MacKinnon was faster on the straightaway, but Duchene beat him in speeding around the corners.” He should automatically step in as one of, if not the fastest player on the Sens. Although there is that whole Erik Karlsson thing that may get in the way of that. If Boucher decides to make a line of Hoffman, Duchene, and Dzingel it might be the fastest line in the league.
Smooth Hands
Duchene is a player that is so talented that you can tell it’s him without seeing a number or name on his jersey, much like Karlsson. “He’s the type of player you never lose on the ice. He doesn’t have the smooth stride of a lot of players — instead, his skates are always moving at a high rate. He’s not a big guy, but he can hold off opponents while holding on to the puck. Besides the breakaway — you’re going to love watching that — his signature move is a spin-o-rama at the side of the net before he whips the puck out front — and sometimes in.” With his great stick work he’s phenomenal in the shootout. That’s something the Sens could have used earlier in the season.
A Streaky Scorer
The final and perhaps most important thing to know about Duchene is that he’s a streaky scorer. As Nadia told me, “If he goes through a goal-scoring drought, don’t freak out and the Sens lost the trade. He always comes back to scoring – he just gets in his own head sometimes.” That sentiment is especially important to remember as he adjusts to a new team and a new system.
An Elite Top Six
With Duchene joining the Ottawa Senators the Sens now have a very formidable forward group. With a high end centre in Duchene, they should be able to compete with anyone in the league.