Matt Duchene lands with Dallas Stars a day after being bought out by Predators
Matt Duchene went from Nashville to Dallas overnight.
Duchene, whose contract was bought out by the Nashville Predators on Friday, landed with the Dallas Stars on Saturday, the first day of free agency in the NHL. He confirmed the news to NHL.com. As a result of the buyout, Duchene became an unrestricted free agent.
Duchene's deal is reportedly for one year and $3 million.
His buyout will cost the Predators $19,333,336 in salary-cap hits spread out over the next six seasons.
Duchene, 32, signed a seven-year, $56 million deal with the Predators on July 1, 2019. In four seasons with the team, he had 84 goals and 113 assists in 249 regular-season games. He scored more than half of those goals (43) during the 2021-22 season, when he became the first player in franchise history with at least 40 in a season.
He had just 19 goals and 26 assists in his first 100 games with the Predators, which accounted for his first two seasons with Nashville.
Former Predators general manager David Poile spent years trying to land Duchene.
“This is a continuation of an organizational process that started at the trade deadline – our desire to change the roster, allowing our emerging players the chance to grow and develop while also creating the flexibility to build a team that will become a Stanley Cup contender,” new Predators general manager Barry Trotz said in a statement posted on the team’s social media platforms Friday.
“We thank Matt for his contributions to the Preds and our community, wishing he and his family all the best for the future.”
The Predators on Saturday landed forward Ryan O'Reilly, defenseman Luke Schenn and forward Gustav Nyquist in free agency.
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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Matt Duchene lands with Stars a day after being bought out by Predators
