The Stars have signed center Matt Duchene to a four-year extension, per a team announcement. It’s worth $4.5MM per season for a total value of $18MM. His deal carries a no-movement clause through 2026-27 before decreasing to a five-team approved trade list for the 2027-28 and 2028-29 seasons, per PuckPedia. The yearly breakdown is as follows:
2025-26: $3MM base salary, $3MM signing bonus
2026-27: $1.8MM base salary, $3MM signing bonus
2027-28: $3.6MM base salary
2028-29: $3.6MM base salary
Duchene could have tested the market as one of the top unrestricted free agent centers available, but he’ll instead opt to stay in a Dallas market where he’s excelled as a key top-six contributor over the past two years. In doing so, he takes a significant discount on his market value, at least on a per-year basis. A four-year offer at a much higher price may not have been out there for the 34-year-old, but AFP Analytics projected a three-year deal for Duchene to fall in the $7MM range per season if he hit the open market.
The 2009 No. 3 overall pick is coming off a spectacular 2024-25 campaign. While the Stars scored the third-most goals in the league, their offense was largely generated by committee. Duchene was the only Dallas player who played at least 25 games that hit the point-per-game mark, leading them in scoring with a 30-52–82 line while playing in all 82 games. Averaging over 17 minutes per game, it was the second time Duchene had hit 80 points in his 16-year NHL career and the fourth time he had hit 30 goals.
Duchene initially arrived in Texas on a one-year, $3MM contract for 2023-24 following a surprise buyout by the Predators with three years left on his contract. He posted 25 goals and 65 points in 80 games last year before taking a repeat of that deal to stay with the Stars last summer. It was a significant discount then, and he takes another significant discount now, locking in some highly-desired security through the rest of his mid-30s as well.
The Stars need any help they can get to ice a cap-compliant roster for 2025-26. Duchene’s steep discount certainly helps, but they still find themselves in a position to clear multiple salaries in order to even ice a full roster, let alone re-sign any other pending UFAs. Dallas now has just $455K in cap space with a roster of only 17 players, per PuckPedia. They need to open at least $1.9MM cap space at an absolute minimum via trades to be able to sign three league-minimum players for a bare-bones 20-man roster. In reality, they’ll move at least two of Mason Marchment ($4.5MM), Mathew Dumba ($3.75MM), and Ilya Lyubushkin ($3.25MM) to open up far more than that to give them some in-season flexibility while not taking a catastrophic hit to their forward depth. Jamie Benn, Evgenii Dadonov, and Mikael Granlund remain as pending UFAs up front.
For Duchene, he’ll still be getting compensated more than his contract with Dallas indicates. The expiry of his new deal following the 2028-29 season lines up with when his buyout paychecks from the Predators will end. He’s still set to receive $6.56MM from Nashville in 2025-26 and then $1.56MM annually through 2028-29.
Image courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.
Great deal for the Stars again, Duchene wants a cup.
Then shouldn’t he have signed in Florida?
Great buyout Nashville!
Very fair value, I think. Even if he drops off a bit, it’s not that much money tied up.
Haha yeah, not exactly but it IS a good ~$450K or so per year vs. a NY/BOS/California team. Good for him, he’s earned it, and looks like it will work well for both sides.
I mean he’s gonna drop off a bit. How many 38 year olds played last season?
…but with no state tax it’s like seven million a year.
That’s why in retirement I live in Texas, except take seven million a year and divide it by one hundred for me.
STEAL
Yikes!
Matt Duchene does take a significant discount to stay in Dallas based on his market value. Duchene had a good regular season but he really seems to disappear during the playoffs though.
Dallas is in a real number crunch however, & obviously if they could move those dead weight contracts of Matt Dumba’s $3.75M & Ilya Lyubushkin’s $3.25M would be quite beneficial for them. I feel they would very much prefer to move those contracts more so than Mason Marchment’s $4.5M as at least he brings value to the team unlike the other two. Marchment, however, may be easier to move because of that very value. Tough spot for Dallas.
Nill should be on the phone with Dubas to unload those contracts
Well, that means at least one of Marchment or Robertson is gonna be moved now. Kind of suprised by the 4 year term, but the cap hit is good for Dallas.
Meanwhile, the Preds are still paying a 30 goal guy to play somewhere else. Sigh.
Horrible signing. Dude has no stamina in the playoffs .
The Preds should have signed Duchene instead of Haula. While embarrassing, it would still appear a lot wiser than paying a point per game-guy $6.5MM to play for your division rival.
If im a rival GM I’m preparing an offer sheet for Bourque ASAP
👍 please do
Jim Nill just apparently lost his mind
said no one ever
Are you kidding me? Show me a UFA this summer that (a) scored 80 points, and (b) will settle for TWICE that much! There isn’t a GM in the world who wouldn’t be doing the happy dance over this. Duchene took a huge home team discount.
Run it back, I suppose.
Dallas was, And is a better team than Edmonton, But Dallas is not as fast, And they have to get younger.
Must be the reason that Dallas keeps beating Edmonton in the conference finals. Well played Wilf.
Wow this won’t end or even start well.