IMO people just tried to come up with an explanation for a trade that they couldn't understand, but this could very well just have been a pure hockey trade. Talbot is a proven winner and he adds experience that the Avs could use, while Downie is a UFA at the end of the season. Who knows, his salary demands could have been simply too high for the Avs and/or he indicated to them that he intends to test free agency? Talbot on the other hand is signed until 2016 to a very reasonable deal. And with Stastny becoming UFA and O'Reilly becoming RFA with a huge offer sheet on the table, it's not a mistake to add a center for depth purposes. I see no reason to think that this was anything else than a simple hockey trade with some regards to free agency and salary.
EDIT: what moon said.
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