It was definitely a good move. Trotz’s plan for the organization is to get them to a point two to three years from now where they can be a perennial contender and not just a flash in the pan every once in a while. Duchene, while being a good player, was filling a spot that guys like Tomasino, Parsinnen, and Evanglista are playing in now. If Duchene was still on the Preds roster, one of those guys aren’t getting the ice time they are getting this year to grow into the player Trotz needs them to be in 2,3or even 5 years down the road to be the backbone of the team and carry them into the future.
Would Duchene be helping the team make a playoff push this year, yep.
Would Duchene be making this team a perennial contender in 3-5 years from now, probably not.