Deen’s Daily: Duchene Over Marchment; Toews Lands Big Money; Marchand Trolls League

The Dallas Stars made a decision to choose a pending UFA over one of their guys under contract. Jonathan Toews has made his decision for the upcoming season. Also, Brad Marchand is having way too much fun after winning the Stanley Cup.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — June 20.

Colorado Hockey Now

The Avalanche are not going to sign Jonathan Toews after all. Toews officially agreed to a deal with his hometown Winnipeg Jets on Friday, albeit the contract can’t be signed until July 1. The one-year deal will pay the 37-year-old $2 million in base salary, with a massive amount of bonuses available for the three-time Stanley Cup champion.

I can’t see any scenario where the Avs would’ve been able to match an offer like this. Toews rightfully made the right choice.

Read More: Necas for Peterka: Are the Avalanche Positioned for a Sneaky One-for-One Trade?

The Avs did announce a couple of signings on Friday, signing two depth restricted free agents to one-year deals.

Read More: Offseason Musings: Rumors Galore — An Avalanche of Opportunities to Explore

Around The NHL

Marchand Trolls Other Teams: The longtime Boston Bruin, who was acquired at the trade deadline by the Florida Panthers, spent his Friday night celebrating the Stanley Cup while trolling his former team, among other NHL clubs. Marchand posted a handful of pictures on his Instagram thanking each team that key pieces of the Panthers roster once played for. The Calgary Flames are perhaps the biggest recipient of this troll job.

Good stuff from one of the NHL’s best veterans. I still do wonder where he ends up playing in 2025-26.

Florida Hockey Now: Speaking of which, Panthers GM Bill Zito made it clear that a Marchand return is not out of the equation. In fact, it might be a more realistic option than we all probably thought a month ago.

Duchene Over Marchment: The Dallas Stars made their first set of moves in what is becoming a pivotal offseason for the Central Division leaders. After signing Matt Duchene to a four-year deal carrying a $4.5 million AAV, the Stars traded Mason Marchment and his $4.5 million AAV to the Seattle Kraken for two mid-level draft picks.

Jim Nill chose Duchene over Marchment, and that means the Avs will no longer have to deal with Marchment or Pete DeBoer if they see each other in the playoffs for the third straight year.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The Penguins were also one of the teams Marchand trolled. Albeit, I think he should’ve reserved this spot for the Avalanche. Seems like he didn’t do enough homework with one particular player on the team.

Montreal Hockey Now: Duchene staying in Dallas, which was always the most likely option, means that the Habs’ center options on the free agent market are dwindling.

NYI Hockey Now: The Islanders are garnering a lot of interest for defenseman Alexander Romanov. But it appears they’re also quietly testing the market on another, more notable defenseman.

Boston Hockey Now: The Boston Bruins landed a notable power-play specialist assistant coach on Friday. It’s another name that I thought the Avs would consider, who is now off the table. Colorado is still without a replacement for Ray Bennett.