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Stefan Elliott could make Kyle Quincey expendable in Denver

Tampa Bay Lightning v Colorado Avalanche

DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 23: Stefan Elliott #46 of the Colorado Avalanche takes a shot against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Pepsi Center on December 23, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche defeated the Lightning 2-1 in overtime. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

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Kyle Quincey is just 26-years-old and figured to be a fixture on the Avalanche blue line. Instead, he’s been a healthy scratch two games in a row and has seen rookie Stefan Elliott take over as the latest golden boy in Denver.

All right, Elliott isn’t exactly Tim Tebow out there, but his skills have more than impressed this season and Adrian Dater of The Denver Post suspects that it could mean bad things for Quincey. Dater says that Quincey isn’t happy about being sat down and it could mean that the Avs have a trade chip to use to try and get back into the playoff hunt.

There’s no shortage of teams out there that could use a skilled defenseman like Quincey although the teams that could use his help the most might not have the cap room to afford him.

At $3.125 million, even prorated, he’d be tough for teams like Philadelphia or Buffalo (for example) to afford under the cap. If Quincey was to become a trade target, Colorado would likely have a host of suitors for a young, skilled guy that plays over 20 minutes a game. Quincey could be just learning a tough lesson about working hard consistently in being a healthy scratch, but if there’s real discord there the Avs could cash in nicely.