Matt Duchene will return to the Pepsi Center in Denver on Friday night for the first time since the blockbuster three-team trade that landed him in Ottawa just under one year ago.

The former third overall pick of the Colorado Avalanche was traded to the Senators on Nov. 5 last year for a total of seven pieces from Ottawa and the Nashville Predators, including Senators' 2019 first-round pick and defenceman Samuel Girard (averaging 19:50 of ice time this season with the Avalanche). The Predators received Senators centre Kyle Turris as their return in the deal. 

Duchene had long been requesting a trade when he was finally moved by the Avalanche, who had finished the previous season dead last in the NHL standings. The Avalanche own a 41-26-11 record since the trade and earned a playoff berth last season with 95 points.

Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said he expects his team to use their turnaround since the Duchene trade as motivation against their former teammate.

“I’m sure some of our fans love him, some of them don’t,” Bednar told the Denver Post. “I’m sure the players have motivation with Matt coming back in and would like to show them what type of team we’ve become.” 

The Senators, meanwhile, have gone 26-34-7 since acquiring Duchene and finished second last in the NHL last season.

Ottawa had the option to surrender the fourth overall pick last June to the Avalanche, or use the pick and give up their 2019 first-round selection - regardless of position - to Colorado. Ottawa elected to select Brady Tkachuk and the Avalanche now own the team's first and third-round picks in the 2019 draft.

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Where Duchene ranks in COL/QUE History
GP 586 12th
G 178 7th
A 250 10th
P 428 10th

The Senators have jumped out to surprising 4-3-1 start to the season and Bednar wants his team use the opportunity to drop Ottawa in the standings.

“We should be a hungry team,” Bednar said. “We know the situation that we have Ottawa’s draft picks. If we can kick them down a little bit, it’s good for us.”

Duchene said Thursday that he expects to hear some boos in his return, but argued that he did his best to help the Avalanche on his way out of town.

“Aw, I’m sure there will be the odd one," Duchene said of potentially hostile fans. "People have got to understand, though: I gave everything I had when I was there. If I just play out my two years there and don’t say anything, there’s a much different return [on a trade]. And that was something I talked to [Avalanche general manager] Joe [Sakic] about. I said, ‘I don’t want you to be left high and dry here if I move on’ and that was the original conversation. When a guy asks for a trade, he looks like the villain, but it was a success for both of us, where we worked through it. I think Joe knew it was probably best for me to move on, and I’m grateful to him for that.

"Obviously, some people look at it differently, but…even if the whole place (boos) at the end of the day, I gave it everything I had there and I think people know that.”

The Avalanche had a team event Thursday night, meaning there was no catching up for any players with Duchene while he was in town.

Captain Gabriel Landeskog said the tumultuous times with Duchene are well in the rear-view for his team.

“We got a full-booked evening,” Landeskog said. “[Duchene] was a big part of this team for a long time. Obviously now, we’re sitting here 12 months later and both Dutchy and the organization [have] moved on. We’re a different team today.”

“I’m sure he’ll be excited,” defenceman Erik Johnson added. “For us it’s just any other game. Points are at a premium. It doesn’t really matter who you play.”

Viewers in the Senators region can watch Duchene's return to Denver LIVE on TSN5 at 9pm ET/10pm AT.