This past summer, everyone who was paying any attention to the NHL knew that Matt Duchene wanted to be traded away from the Colorado Avalanche. No trade came, and Joe Sakic was widely criticized for it.
“You can’t go into the season with Duchene on the roster.”
Sakic waited. He held firm on his asking price and when a desperate team finally gave in, he pulled the trigger. And what a haul he got.
A mere eleven months after a trade was requested, the Colorado Avalanche were able to turn his second line center into seven assets - most of which are very valuable.