Dallas Stars forward Matt Duchene will miss approximately three months after undergoing successful surgery to repair a chronic core injury, the team announced Monday.
Surgery Decision After Training Camp Setbacks
He had some issues during training camp, and then we thought if we took some time he could work through them,
Gulutzan said. And then he couldn’t.
And so then we got another look at it, a couple other people to look at it.
And a collection of those minds decided, ‘Let’s take care of it rather than trying to just work through it.’
Gulutzan added that the problem was ultimately categorized as a chronic condition that the medical staff decided to address immediately rather than postponing further.
Contract Status and Recent Production
Duchene is currently playing in the second season of a four-year, $18 million contract extension that carries a $4.5 million cap hit, according to reporting by TSN and Sportsnet.ca. Last season, injuries limited the forward to 57 regular-season games, during which he recorded 16 goals and 29 assists for 45 points—his lowest full-season offensive output since the 2011-12 campaign with the Colorado Avalanche, as Daily Faceoff pointed out. Since joining the franchise ahead of the 2023-24 season, Duchene has accumulated 71 goals and 121 assists for 192 points in 219 games.
Impact on Dallas Offense and Upcoming Schedule
Without their veteran center, the Stars have struggled to generate early offense. Entering play Monday, Dallas averaged 2.20 goals per game, ranking 27th in the NHL, while their power play sat 28th at 7.7 percent. Those figures represent a sharp decline from last season, when the team finished ninth in scoring at 3.33 goals per game and second on the power play at 28.6 percent.
You lose a guy that, you know, a couple years ago had 82 points,
Gulutzan said to NHL.com, referencing Duchene’s productive 2024-25 campaign. You take those guys out of your lineup, you lose offense. I mean, that’s the reality. No offense to anybody in this room, but if I plug you in that hole, you’re not going to give me any offense. You can’t just put anybody in there, right?
The Stars hold a 2-2-1 record through their first five contests, a stretch that includes a shootout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Dallas returns to the ice on Tuesday night to host the Colorado Avalanche at 8:30 p.m. ET.
