In a surprising move, the Nashville Predators bought out centre Matt Duchene. Following that buyout, the Dallas Stars pounced on the opportunity and signed the former third-overall pick to a one-year contract with a $3 million AAV.
Dallas Stars Signs Matt Duchene
The Dallas Stars have signed Matt Duchene to a new contract. The 32-year-old centre is still a decent top-six forward. Last season he had 22 goals and 32 assists in 71 games. His career best, however, came the year before when he scored 43 goals and 43 assists. His goal totals that season included 16 goals on the power play. While Nashville is going through a retool right now, buying out Duchene is still somewhat interesting. He is a fairly opportunistic forward who scores a lot off the rush. Injuries are a concern for Duchene as he only played a full 82-game season once in his career, but he is still a productive forward. Even though his goal-scoring can be streaky, Duchene has shown that he can be counted on for offence. He led the Predators in expected goals with 20.5 and goals this season as well.
Why This Makes Sense
As mentioned above, Duchene can be counted on for offensive production. Having depth down the middle is good for any team looking to go far. Duchene can drive some offence and put the puck in the net. Even though this past year was a step back from his huge season before, Duchene still is producing at a good level. His ability offensively should help some on the power play as well. This is a good move to take advantage of an unexpectedly available unrestricted free agent.
Meanwhile, Duchene will continue his career after facing the surprise of the buyout. When one door closes, another one opens. And that is what happened here. If Duchene can get back to his 2021-22 season totals, this will be a home run. But even if not, getting Matt Duchene signed should be a solid move.
Main Photo Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
