The Nashville Predators announced today that they have signed forward Matt Duchene to a seven-year contract worth $56 million ($8 million AAV). Duchene, who primarily plays center, had 31 goals and 39 assists in 73 games played this season. He added five goals and five assists in ten playoff games. He started the season with the Ottawa Senators and he was traded at the deadline to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Drafted third overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by Colorado, Nashville will be Duchene’s fourth team over his ten-year career. This contract is a big raise from his previous one, which saw him make $30 million over five years (a $6 million AAV).
Lydia’s Reaction: I think this is a decent deal for Nashville, albeit a slight over-payment. He’s a great addition to their top-six, and will likely fit in perfectly in the locker room and the city given his off-ice interests. The reason I say he is being slightly overpaid is that while it looks good now, Duchene is 28 and will be 35 at the end of this contract. By that time, he will most likely have declined significantly, and his contract will look really bad. Had it been shorter term, it would’ve been better, but Duchene was not going to go for a short-term deal because this was his last chance at one given his age. That’s the current problem with free agency, in that these players are all looking for long-term contracts but are at or approaching 30, which means by the end of their contracts they are being massively overpaid.
This post will be updated with Stephen’s reaction later tonight or tomorrow.
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