Matt Duchene wants to remain in the Lone Star State next season, he recently said on The Sweep Spot on Sportsradio 96.7FM/1310 the Ticket. The veteran forward said that “money is definitely not the No. 1 bucket,” implying he’d take a discount to sign an extension with the Stars.
That follows a report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman last week that Dallas is hoping to bring back both Duchene and defenseman Chris Tanev, who are slated to become unrestricted free agents next month.
Duchene, 33, had 25 goals and 65 points in 80 games for the Stars last season after signing a one-year, $3MM pact in free agency. He was an unexpected addition to the open market after the Predators bought out the final three seasons of his seven-year, $56MM contract.
The 2009 third-overall pick will be getting a decent paycheck from Nashville through 2029, so it’s foreseeable why he’d be especially willing to take a discount at this stage in his career. Duchene hit the 1,000-game plateau this past season but failed to reach his first Stanley Cup Final when Dallas lost to Edmonton in this year’s Western Conference Final.
Still, even a discounted raise on Duchene’s previous $3MM cap hit may be tough for Dallas to swallow. They enter the summer with $16.25MM in projected cap space but have 10 open roster spots, per CapFriendly.
He’s still an important piece that should be retained if possible. Duchene has hit 50 points in each of the past three seasons and would be an important factor in shouldering the loss of Joe Pavelski, who’s expected to retire and not return to the club. Slightly increased minutes for Duchene, as well as the continued development of youngsters Wyatt Johnston and Logan Stankoven, should help replace Pavelski’s 67 points last season by committee.
Stankoven quickly becoming my favourite last name in Hockey.
STANKY LEG!
I think as long as it’s a short term deal, it’s not bad for the Stars. Duchene has shown that he’s not a guy you sign long-term contracts to lol
give’m 3 years.
Well, if Pavs does retire, probably be a good idea to keep Duchene around.
3 years at 5 mil?
2 years at 4 mil would be closer to what I’d offer him.
Split the difference: 4.5 mil, 3 years
I scratch my head thinking about what if the Kings would have signed him for 1 year @ 3-4mil. Instead of trading for PLD! WOW & Blake still has a job. Double Wow!