The Colorado Avalanche agreed to terms with center Matt Duchene on a five-year contract extension, the team announced Thursday. Duchene's deal, which runs through the 2018-19 season, is worth $30 million, a source told ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun. Duchene had one year and $3.5 million remaining on his current contract. He would have become a restricted free agent next offseason. "Matt already is and will be a big part of our team's nucleus for the long term," Avalanche executive vice president of hockey operations Joe Sakic said. "We all felt that it was important for us to secure his rights for several seasons. With his great skills, speed and character, he represents the identity we want the Avalanche to be." Source: ESPN
