- Matt Duchene had surgery to repair a core injury and is out about three months
- He hasn’t played a game this season and has been on LTIR since late September
- Read below for how Dallas is covering his spot in the lineup
Matt Duchene is out for roughly three months.
The Stars announced Monday that the veteran center underwent successful surgery to repair a core injury. General manager Jim Nill delivered the update, and Dallas put it out on X:
Duchene hasn’t played a game this season. He sat out all of training camp and the preseason, then had a setback on the road before opening night. Dallas placed him on long-term injured reserve on Oct. 1, retroactive to Sept. 29, after we reported he was doubtful for the opener.
Head coach Glen Gulutzan described him as being in a maintenance program at the time, and said it wasn’t related to the concussion that cost Duchene close to two months last fall. Three months from now puts his return somewhere around mid-January.
The 35-year-old is entering the second year of a four-year deal that pays him $4.5 million a season. He’s been a steady secondary scorer since landing in Dallas in 2023-24, with 192 points in 219 games. Last season he put up 16 goals and 29 assists in 57 games.
Arttu Hyry has been centering the third line in his absence. Because Duchene is on LTIR, the Stars have around $2.2 million in cap space to work with, so there’s some room to make a move if they want one.
Dallas can live without him for a stretch, but it’s a lot of depth to lose from a team that leans on its forwards. January is a long way off.
