Former Avalanche First-Round Pick Suffers Another Brutal Injury Setback

The Dallas Stars haven't had much go their way to start the season, and they're doing it without one of their most familiar names.

Dallas opened with a 4-0 home loss to the St. Louis Blues before falling 2-1 to the Nashville Predators on Saturday. They're 0-2, and Matt Duchene hasn't been available for either game.

The former Colorado Avalanche forward is on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury suffered during training camp. He'll miss at least 10 games.

For Colorado, Duchene's situation is worth keeping an eye on.

He was the No. 3 overall pick by the Avalanche in 2009 and spent parts of nine seasons with the organization. By the time Colorado traded him to Ottawa in 2017, Duchene had appeared in more than 587 games for the franchise.

He's obviously a different player now.

Duchene turns 36 in January, but he showed he could still produce at a high level during the 2024-25 season. He played all 82 games for Dallas and led the Stars with 30 goals and 52 assists for 82 points.

That was the third 30-goal season of his career.

Last year was much tougher.

Duchene missed 25 games after suffering a vestibular concussion on a hard hit from Minnesota Wild defenseman Jake Middleton. He later described it as the hardest injury he'd had to recover from.

He still managed 45 points in 57 games after returning, scoring 16 goals with 29 assists.

Now he's dealing with another setback.

The lower-body issue surfaced during training camp. Dallas tried to manage it, but Duchene eventually suffered a setback and landed on LTIR.

The earliest he can return is Oct. 25 against the New York Islanders, which would be Dallas' 11th game. That's only the first date he's eligible to return, though, not a guarantee that he'll be ready.

The Stars could use him. They've scored just one goal through their first two games, and they're already looking for more offense.

Duchene has bounced around since leaving Colorado, playing for Ottawa, Columbus and Nashville before eventually landing in Dallas.

But his Avalanche years remain a significant part of his career. He was a third-overall pick, played nearly 600 games in Colorado and became one of the most recognizable players on the team during his time there.

Now, at 35, he's facing another stretch on the sidelines.

After missing significant time last season, that's not exactly the start Duchene or Dallas wanted.