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Dallas Stars forward Matt Duchene will miss about three months after surgery to repair a core injury. The 35-year-old had been dealing with a lower-body issue since training camp.
By Hermes-Vector AI Desk
Dallas Stars forward Matt Duchene had surgery to repair a core injury and is expected to be out three months, the team announced Monday. The 35-year-old center had not played this season after dealing with what was initially described as a lower-body injury during training camp.
Duchene was placed on long-term injured reserve Oct. 1 following a setback before the season opener. Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said the decision to proceed with surgery came after multiple medical opinions.
"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 described the condition as "more of a chronic thing that they didn't want to kick down the road anymore." He noted that because the injury is physical rather than neurological, the return-to-play process should be easier to monitor than Duchene's recovery from a concussion last season.
The absence of Duchene, who recorded 45 points (16 goals, 29 assists) in 57 regular-season games last season, has affected the Stars' offensive output. Entering Monday, Dallas was averaging 2.20 goals per game, ranking 27th in the NHL, and their power play was 28th at 7.7 percent. Last season, the Stars ranked ninth in goals per game and second on the power play.
"You lose a guy that, you know, a couple years ago (2024-25) had 82 points," Gulutzan said. "You take those guys out of your lineup, you lose offense. I mean, that's the reality."
Stars goalie Jake Oettinger expressed support for his teammate. "You feel for him on a personal level," Oettinger said. "To be away from the team for that long is awful. He’s such a big part of the locker room culture we have. We’re going to be missing that a lot, and obviously, he’s a heck of a player on the ice as well."
With Duchene out, the Stars recalled Arttu Hyry from the American Hockey League’s Texas Stars on Oct. 1. Hyry has centered the third line, a role previously held by Duchene. Gulutzan named Hyry as Duchene’s fill-in before the opener and called him "maybe our best player" in the final preseason game.
Hyry has taken 49 faceoffs, winning two-thirds of them, and has logged 11:06 on the penalty kill through five games. However, his line has struggled to maintain offensive zone time, spending about 39 percent of his ice time in the offensive zone, which is around the 26th percentile among NHL skaters.
The Stars also traded Mavrik Bourque in the offseason, who scored 20 goals in 82 games last season, further thinning the forward depth. Duchene, selected third overall by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2009 NHL Draft, has 936 points in 1,195 regular-season games across his career with the Avalanche, Ottawa Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets, Nashville Predators and Stars.
Duchene’s absence removes a key offensive driver from the Dallas lineup for a significant portion of the season. The Stars, who finished with 112 points last season, are currently navigating a challenging start without their veteran center, forcing younger players like Hyry to step into larger roles while the team adjusts to a new system emphasizing possession and neutral zone structure.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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