BOSTON — Following the Avalanche’s 4-0 win Monday against the Boston Bruins, Matt Duchene said he didn’t take Peter Forsberg’s comments about him personally.

Forsberg, an Avalanche legend and 2016 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, said the Avs should “bench and trade” Duchene, who reported to training camp Sept. 14 expecting to be traded before the season.

“I saw it,” Duchene said of a Denver Post story highlighting Forsberg’s comments on Swedish television Saturday. “I don’t think it was meant to be anything personal. He and I have a great relationship. So I’m not taking it personally. I think he’s just commenting on the situation. A lot can get lost in translation.”

Duchene added: “He was a guy I idolized growing up. I still have the same admiration and respect for him as a player and a guy — he was a guy I looked up to a lot as a kid.”

Duchene was on the trade block late last season before the March 1 deadline, and again throughout the summer.

Before Monday’s game, Avs coach Jared Bednar was asked about Forsberg’s comments.

“I think Matt’s a top player for us right now, arguably our best forward last game, so I like the way we’re handling the situation. I like the way he’s handling it. He’s here to play and his line has been real good,” Bednar said.

Forsberg said having Duchene on a team he doesn’t want to play for takes energy away from the team.

“It’s hard for someone to say that that’s outside of our room, you know?” Bednar said Related Articles September 18, 2020 Avalanche re-signs former DU star Logan O’Connor on two-year contract

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Bednar also insinuated that the Avs are handling Duchene differently from last season.

“There were rumors last year — there always are around a last-place club — but some of the rumors have been going on for quite some time,” he said. “So our focus is playing hockey (now) and I think that’s what Matt’s done a real good job of, coming in here and focusing on playing the game, being productive and being a good pro. I don’t have any problems with the way we’ve handled it this (season).”

Footnotes. Against Boston, the Avs used the same lineup from Saturday in New Jersey, but Bednar started Semyon Varlamov instead of Jonathan Bernier and moved 19-year-old forward Tyson Jost to the third line with J.T. Compher and Gabe Landeskog. Colin Wilson was demoted and replaced Jost on the fourth line.