The Dallas Stars locked down veteran forward Matt Duchene with a four-year, $18 million extension while trading key forward Mason Marchment to the Seattle Kraken to obtain draft capital and clear cap space.
Dallas announced Thursday that Duchene, 34, who led the team in scoring last season with 82 points, has agreed to stay in Dallas through the 2028‑29 season at an average annual value of $4.5 million.
Duchene put together an impressive second season with the Stars, playing in every game and establishing himself as one of the team’s centerpieces.
Stars General Manager Jim Nill wrote in a statement about Duchene’s signing that the organization is “thrilled to have Matt back with our organization.”
“As our team’s leading scorer last season, he helped to solidify our forward group while also providing invaluable leadership off the ice and in the community. The fit with Matt and our team has been seamless from the start, and we’re looking forward to continuing to pursue our shared goal of bringing a championship to Dallas.”
Duchene’s new contract now ensures the Stars retain their top offensive threat and veteran leadership at a solid price.
Shortly after this contract was announced, Dallas traded Marchment to Seattle in exchange for a fourth‑round pick in 2025 and a third‑round pick in 2026, which helps to free up cap space for the 2025-26 season.
Marchment was in the final year of a four-year contract with a cap hit of $4.5 million.
Dallas entered the offseason with roughly $5.9 million in cap room, with forward Mikko Rantanen’s $12 million cap hit now on the books after the midseason trade from the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Stars now have $4.955 million left in cap space to sign players to the roster, meaning the most likely outcome is the franchise moving on from various players to create more space to work, according to Yahoo Sports.
Dallas currently has six pending unrestricted free agents, including captain forward Jamie Benn, forward Mikael Granlund, and defenseman Cody Ceci.