Predators to buy out Matt Duchene, other NHL buyouts: How the move signals a new era in Nashville

By Eric Stephens, Peter Baugh and Eric Duhatschek

The Predators placed forward Matt Duchene on waivers Friday for the purpose of buying out his contract. Here’s what you need to know:

• The 32-year-old had three years left on a seven-year, $56 million contract ($8 million AAV) signed in July 2019.
• For two of the three seasons, there is a $5.5 and $6.5 million cap charge, per CapFriendly.
• Duchene, who played for Nashville the past four seasons, had 22 goals and 34 assists in 71 games last season.

What Duchene could bring to another NHL team

Duchene is still a strong offensive player who had 43 goals and played at more than a point-per-game clip in 2021-22, then had 56 points in 71 games this past season.

There will plenty of appetite for a player of his caliber on the open market, especially given this year’s weak free agent class. The 32-year-old’s skill and ability to score make him one of the only gamebreakers on the market. — Baugh

Here’s what people forget about Duchene. Only two seasons ago, he ranked eighth in NHL goal-scoring, with 43, one behind Connor McDavid and one ahead of Steven Stamkos and Matthew Tkachuk. That’s heady company, no matter how you may evaluate the rest of his game, which sometimes can lack focus. Even last year, an off year for Duchene, he managed 22 goals and 56 points for the Predators.

Teams need scoring — and he’s versatile enough to play either center or right wing. Given how thin the 2023 UFA market is, Duchene could potentially rocket to the top of the charts of available NHL free agents. Remember too, in a year when money is tight all around the NHL, he can price himself at a discount on his next contract; and might even be inclined to do so, given that he’ll be collecting a check from the Predators for the next six years. — Duhatschek

Backstory

The Avalanche drafted Duchene with the No. 3 pick of the 2009 NHL Draft, and he debuted in the pros that season, playing in 81 games and recording 55 points. He played nine seasons in Colorado before a 1 1/2 season stretch with the Senators and a short stint with the Blue Jackets.

He arrived in Nashville in 2019 and has since posted 84 goals and 113 goals for the team. His best season with the Predators came during the 2021-22 season, where he scored and assisted 43 goals each.

With the buyout, Duchene becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Other buyouts

Teams have until 5 p.m. to buy out players with a no-move or no-trade clause. Here are the players who have been bought out so far: