Nashville May Not Protect Matt Duchene In Expansion

The Nashville Predators may be pushing themselves toward a partial rebuild this summer, and with that comes the potential for one of their higher-end players to be sent to Seattle. According to Pierre LeBrun, Nashville are giving the indication that Matt Duchene may not be on their protected list when the Seattle Kraken announce their expansion picks on July 21st. Duchene is headed into the third year of the 7-year, $8 million contract that the Preds signed him to in 2019. 

Duchene had another uneven season with Nashville this season, scoring 6 goals and 13 points in 34 games. He was a -12 in +/- on the year. In two seasons with the Preds, Duchene has managed to score 55 points in 100 games, which is a steep drop off from his averages in both Ottawa and Colorado. Despite Nashville battling their way into the playoffs this year, Duchene was only a minor part of that late-season run, while being paid to be the driver. It makes sense that Nashville would want to move on from his contract, but the trade market must be very dry on the player for them to offer him up for free.

On Seattle's end, bringing in a normally steady producer in Duchene on a wager that the fit just wasn't right in Nashville might not be the worst idea. Averages would tell us that Duchene can still be a quality playmaker, in fact he tends to perform better on teams with weaker rosters. If the Kraken are intrigued by the idea of a 30-year old player that was scoring 58 points in 50 games just two years ago, they might buy into what the Preds are offering. There may need to be a sweetener from Nashville though, that $8 Million contract looks like an anvil at the moment.

Do you think the Seattle Kraken will claim Matt Duchene from Nashville?

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