The Dallas Stars are beginning their 2026-27 NHL season on Friday night. They’ll take on the St. Louis Blues.
And the Stars are doing it without one of their stars, Matt Duchene.
Duchene is past his prime, but he still remains a reliable scorer when he’s on the ice.
A year ago, Duchene had 16 goals and 29 assists for 45 points in 56 games.
The year prior, Duchene scored 30 goals and had 52 assists.
Dallas likely will use Duchene on the third line at center if he gets healthy while everyone else is healthy.
But for now, Duchene is hurt, and so the Stars begin the season without him.
When is Matt Duchene Coming Back?
Duchene’s return timeline is uncertain, but his current status gives us at least an idea.
The Stars placed Duchene on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury that he picked up in training camp.
Duchene has to miss at least 10 games, and 24 calendar days, while on LTIR.
The earliest game he can return, according to Pro Hockey Rumors, is on Oct. 25 when the Stars take on the New York Islanders.
That would be the Stars’ 11th game of the season.
Of course, without a whole lot more detail on the injury, it’s hard to know exactly how hurt Duchene is. A player can be out a lot longer while on LTIR. That 10-game rule is just the minimum.
It’s really an odd story, because Duchene showed up at training camp healthy:
Re: Duchene, Nill and Gulutzan have both said this is what happened:
-Duchene showed up to camp healthy
-Encountered a lower-body issue early in camp that they tried to manage with maintenance days, hoped he’d play final preseason game
-had a setback few days ago, now on IR— Robert Tiffin (@RobertTiffin) October 1, 2026
Matt Duchene Contract
Given that Duchene is missing time to start this season, and that he missed a bunch of time last season, it’s worth considering what comes next.
He’ll turn 36 in January.
Duchene still has two more years on his contract with the Stars after this one. He wouldn’t be a free agent until the summer of 2029.
Still, there’s good news — Duchene is making just $4.5 million this year, and he’ll be paid the same amount in both 2027-28 and in 2028-29.
Duchene has been one of those players throughout his NHL career who is never necessarily his team’s best player but is often right among the next tier. He has contributed anywhere he’s gone whenever he’s been able to be on the ice.
Even as he ages, he can be valuable to the Stars this season. They just need to help him get back on his skates to start contributing to a new season in Dallas sooner rather than later.
When is Matt Duchene Coming Back? Injury Return Timeline for Stars Star