Leafs: 4 Reasons Matt Duchene is an Ideal Trade Target

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Mar 8, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Colorado Avalanche forward Matt Duchene (9) celebrates a goal by forward Cody McLeod (not pictured) in the first period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /

2) Team Lacks Depth at Centre

There are two positions NHL teams usually struggle to develop strong depth in — centre and defence. The Leafs have a bright future with Auston Matthews as their number one centre.

Nazem Kadri has shown he can produce like a second line centre, while Tyler Bozak has been able to fit with Marner and James van Riemsdyk. After that it gets tough for the Leafs, because there are not many options.

Ben Smith currently plays as the fourth line centre and the depth on the Toronto Marlies is not great. Bozak is signed until the end of next season, which leaves the Leafs with only Matthews and Kadri as centres going forward.

The team has discussed moving William Nylander to centre, but that will not happen anytime soon. However, if the Leafs can acquire Duchene, it will let them take their time when it comes to potentially moving Nylander.

Duchene can also play on the wing, which would give the Leafs versatility, although considering the difficulty in acquiring centres, this wouldn’t make much sense. Having Matthews-Duchene-Kadri as a top three would be a strong combination and one Leafs fans should want, given how tough it is to win without quality centres.

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