How the Matt Duchene trade will define the future for two different franchises

Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY SportsLast November, when the Colorado Avalanche finally found a deal worthy of moving their long-time star Matt Duchene, it marked the start of a new chapter for the franchise.

The trade had been a long time coming, and many assumed that Joe Sakic has lost any leverage he had by waiting as long as he did to move a player that everyone knew wanted out of Denver.

That wasn’t the case.

The trade that Joe Sakic was able to pull off was one of the biggest we’ve seen in a long time. The addition of a third team was necessary in order to make it work — but in the end, the Avalanche turned one unhappy player into a treasure trove of assets that will be key to any success they…