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, $3M 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, $56M 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 $3M cap hit may be tough for Dallas to swallow. It enters the summer with $16.25M in projected cap space but has 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.
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