Stars ink Duchene to 4-year, $18M extension

The Dallas Stars signed Matt Duchene to a four-year contract with an average annual value of $4.5 million, the team announced.

Duchene was scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He notched 82 points in 82 games this past season and likely would have been heavily pursued if he went to market.

"We are thrilled to have Matt back with our organization," general manager Jim Nill said in a statement. "As our team's leading scorer last season, he helped to solidify our forward group while also providing invaluable leadership off the ice and in the community. The fit with Matt and our team has been seamless from the start, and we're looking forward to continuing to pursue our shared goal of bringing a championship to Dallas."

Duchene joined the Stars ahead of the 2023-24 campaign after the Nashville Predators bought out his contract with three seasons remaining. He re-upped in Dallas last summer on a one-year deal.

The 34-year-old said he hopes to stay with Dallas after the team was eliminated in the Western Conference Final.

Duchene's suited up for five different franchises since being drafted third overall by the Colorado Avalanche in 2009. He's registered 891 points in 1,138 career games.

The Stars have approximately $455,000 in cap space after signing Duchene, per PuckPedia. Captain Jamie Benn and marquee trade deadline acquisition Mikael Granlund are among the club's most prominent free agents remaining.