Stars' Matt Duchene Motivated by Predators Giving Up on Him

Matt Duchene is excited to reunite with childhood friend Tyler Seguin after signing a contract with the Dallas Stars. Duchene was bought out by the Nashville Predators, a move that sent the veteran forward through a ton of emotions.

From being pissed off, to a bit heartbroken, to very excited for his next chapter, Duchene went through it all as the news was somewhat unexpected. He met up with the media in Dallas and had this to say about his next chapter:

When a team tells you they don't want you anymore, it's tough, right?. It's business, and the game is the business, but at the same time, the game is who we are as people. I've been a hockey player since I was two years old; that's how I identify. "I haven't had too many (opportunities) in my career. I've been to the second round once. That's something that's frustrating me beyond I can explain, just to not have that really good taste. To be part of this team that's been kind of a perennial deep-in-the-playoffs-type team ... it's really exciting to come in to. (Seguin) He does everything well. … The fact that you can step in right away and play with a guy like that is pretty special. There's not many places in the league that you have options to play with a guy like that.

Look for Duchene to line up as the Stars second-line center next season between Seguin and Jamie Benn. With the Preds, he recorded 22 goals and 56 points in 71 games last season and is one year removed from a 43-goal campaign. The Dallas Stars got themselves a good one.

"To be part of a team that has a lot of guys in their prime who haven't won yet and have that hunger at a really high level, it's really exciting to come into."

Matt Duchene is ready to join his former division rival and win.
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) July 8, 2023