Per Elliotte Friedman, the Predators are buying out Matt Duchene.
Per Elliotte Friedman, the Predators are buying out Matt Duchene.
In a move that will likely shock many in Nashville, Barry Trotz has decided to buy out Matt Duchene's contract.
The Predators will pay $2.56 million dollars next season, $5.56 million in '24-'25, $6.56 million in '25-'26, and then $1.56 million from '26-'29 to remove Duchene from the roster.
The 32 year old Duchene has had an up and down tenure in Nashville under two different head coaches, and the COVID affected seasons muddied the waters when it came to evaluating what Duchene was capable of with the team. He finally hit his stride in 2021-22 scoring 43 goals and 86 points and setting a franchise record for goals scored in the regular season. Last season Duchene scored 22 goals and 56 points in 71 games.
Duchene has been clear about his desire to stay with the Predators organization and in Nashville.
"I've said it a thousand times, but I still say I love playing for this team," Duchene said at the end of the season press conference in April. "I love living in the city. I love the fans. It means the world for me to be here, and I'm just really excited for the future."
The future for the Predators will look very different with both Ryan Johansen and Matt Duchene off the roster, but the moves free up more financial space for Trotz to make potentially big future moves this offseason or next. The Predators will have $24.2 million dollars next year in cap space, the fourth most in the NHL as of right now.
Trotz has been up front that he wants to give younger players like Cody Glass, Tommy Novak, Luke Evangelista, and Juuso Pärssinen an opportunity for more ice time as they continue to develop and become the new young core of a team in a clear reset. The move to buy out Duchene will require the young players to step into a bigger role and gives Trotz more money to make a bigger offseason move.
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