SIGNED: Matt Duchene Finds New Team; Talks About “Heartbreak” Of Buyout

One of the top forwards on the free agent market has found a new home. Matt Duchene, who'll still be on the Nashville Predators' books for six more years, has signed a one year deal with the Dallas Stars.

Matt Duchene is signing a 1-year, $3 million deal with Dallas pic.twitter.com/zrRavklPK9

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) July 1, 2023

It's a $3 million steal for the Stars, who get a 32-year-old who's just one year removed from a 43-goal, 86-point season. He still had 22 goals and 56 points in 71 games for the Preds this past season. 

Nashville made a somewhat shocking move on Friday deciding to buy out the final three years of Duchene's contract, immediately vaulting him to near the top of the free agent board. 

But nobody was more shocked than Duchene himself, who had no idea that the buyout was coming, as he told TSN today. 

"It was heartbreaking... it caught me off-guard," said Duchene. "I understand what's going on there (in Nashville)... New things happen and directions get changed. I can't say enough about my time there and how much I love the fans, the city and everything."

As for the Stars, there were a number of reasons he chose to go to Dallas.

"I wanna win a Stanley Cup... I was very blessed that I had some amazing options reach out... For me, Dallas checked a lot of boxes. A very similar city to Nashville, culture-wise and city-wise, and a team that's been right there for a number of years... An older, mature team, I'm excited to get started down there."

In his 14-year career, the former No. 3 overall pick in the NHL Draft (2009) has 316 goals and 428 assists for 744 points in 976 games. 

Photo: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports