Dallas Stars forward Matt Duchene will be out for up to three months after having core muscle surgery, the team announced Monday. Duchene, 35, began the season on injured reserve and last played when the Stars were eliminated from the first round of the playoffs last season by the Minnesota Wild. The loss snapped the Stars' three-year streak of advancing to the Western Conference finals.
Losing Duchene means the Stars will be without one of their more productive top-nine forwards, who can play either down the middle at center or on the edge out on the wing. Stars coach Glen Gulutzan didn't go into the specifics of how the injury occurred. He did say Duchene's injury is more chronic in nature, one that "you didn't want to kick down the road anymore."
Duchene missed portions of last season while recovering from a concussion. Gulutzan said the physical nature of this injury should make his return smoother. "It's a physical thing. So, you actually know what steps you can go through," he said. "It's a lot easier to monitor their return to play."
Gulutzan, in his second season with the Stars, had to navigate several injuries last season, with players like Jamie Benn, Roope Hintz, Mikko Rantanen and Tyler Seguin missing varying amounts of games. "You just got to make sure the energy stays good in the room," he said. Duchene finished 2025-26 with 16 goals and 45 points in 57 games for the Stars, who are 2-2-1 to start this season.
Source: ESPN NHL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing