Matt Duchene was sidelined early in his new four-year deal, his season temporarily derailed by an injury.
Former Ottawa Senator Matt Duchene has been placed on long-term injured reserve following a fierce open ice hit in an October 14th game against the Minnesota Wild.
On Monday, as Duchene entered his second month of recovery, the Dallas Stars officially placed him on long-term injured reserve with an ongoing upper-body injury. The hit occurred while he was rushing up ice through the neutral zone. Duchene briefly had his head down to receive a pass and was caught by former Ottawa 67’s captain Jake Middleton.
Stars teammate Alex Petrovic stepped up to try and avenge Duchene, and it didn't go well.
The good news for the Stars is that Duchene has already missed the minimum 10 games and 24 days needed to be activated off LTIR, so he’s eligible to return as soon as he’s healthy.
But health has proven elusive.
After the hit, Duchene left that game and did not return. He then sat out the next one against Vancouver, then played against St. Louis, where things apparently worsened, and he has not played since. At the time of the hit, Duchene was only three games into his four-year extension with the Stars at $4.5 million per season.
The Senators acquired Duchene in a blockbuster 2018 trade with the Colorado Avalanche. However, much like the cases of Alex DeBrincat and Jakob Chychrun, Duchene was approaching free agency and didn't want to re-sign in Ottawa, leaving the Senators with little choice but to move him.
Duchene was the picture of health last season, starting in all 82 games and leading the Stars in scoring with 82 points.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa
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