Duchene says Predators buyout was 'tough', will use it as motivation

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Cooper Godin
July 7, 2023 (1:19 PM)

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On the final day of the NHL's buyout period at the end of June, the Nashville Predators decided to place forward Matt Duchene on unconditional waivers in order to buy him out.

Duchene ultimately cleared unconditional waivers, which made him an unrestricted free agent. On the opening day of free agency, Duchene mulled over several offers from teams around the NHL, but signed with the Dallas Stars for one-year at $3 million USD.

During his introductory press conference on Thursday in Dallas, Duchene says that being bought out is tough, but understands that hockey is a business and he'll be using it at motivation next season.

"When a team tells you they don't want you anymore, it's tough, right?" Duchene said. "It's business, and the game is the business, but at the same time, the game is who we are as people. I've been a hockey player since I was two years old; that's how I identify."

The Haliburton, Ontario native had a solid year for the Predators in 2022-23, which was his fourth in Nashville. He took a step back from the 86 points he put up during the 2021-22 campaign, but still managed to record 56 points (22 goals, 34 assists) in 71 games.

Duchene had three years remaining on his seven-year deal with an AAV of $8 million, which he signed with Nashville in July 2019. His buyout will cost the Predators $1,555,556 for each of the next six seasons, although the cap hit will vary throughout the six years, with the highest being $6,555,556 in 2025-26.

Source: the Score