First Shift 🏒
Duchene has been a perfect fit in Dallas.
The veteran center loves the flow of Texas and also loves how his team plays. And, in a lot of ways, he’s been one of the biggest reasons for this team’s success.
“He’s been critical for us all year,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said.
The 34-year-old center leads Dallas in scoring this season with 79 points (29 goals, 50 assists) in 77 games. He’s found a way to be an impact player no matter what has happened and is one of just four Stars to play in all 77 games. He lost both his linemates earlier in the season as Tyler Seguin went out with hip surgery in early December and Mason Marchment missed a little over a month with a facial injury. But Duchene adjusted. He is just sixth on the team in power play time on ice per game at 2:29 but leads the team in power play points at 26. He is one of the best bargains in the league on a one-year contract at $3 million, and he shows up for every game.
“I think in the first half of the year, he was definitely our MVP,” DeBoer said. “The second half of last year, I thought he slumped a little bit. This year, I think he’s been really consistent. Every time you roll him out there, he’s creating offense, he’s been really good defensively. No matter who I play him with, he does a good job.”
Duchene’s veteran experience has helped him a great deal. This is his fifth NHL team and he has played in the past with both Granlund and Rantanen, which has helped the two newcomers adjust. Meanwhile, he has been smooth in handling challenges because he has been through a few in his career.
“He’s a great linemate,” said Marchment, who has been clicking with Duchene in recent games. “He talks a lot, and I think that’s great for our line. He’s just a leader. He’s a guy you want to follow.”
Evgenii Dadonov took a perfect pass from Duchene (who has a career-high 50 assists this season) on a recent power play goal and said it’s not surprising.
“He’s such a great passer,” Dadonov said. “He knows where you are and he finds you, so you need to be ready.”
Duchene said he has enjoyed the process in his second season. He had some key moments in the playoffs last season but finished with just 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists) in 19 postseason games. So he worked hard over the summer to be more consistent. Since Jan. 1, he is eighth in the league in scoring at 46 points (15 goals, 31 assists) in 41 games, and that’s been a key reason the Stars have the best record in the league in that span at 28-9-4.
That said, they are coming off two disappointing games, and that means they are looking to players like Duchene to lead as they enter the final five games of the regular season.
“You’re going to go through peaks and valleys in a season, and we understand that,” Duchene said. “The amount of adversity we’ve had here in my two years hasn’t been very little. I think going through this could be a good thing. We’re kind of going through that – the guys are working through it, the coaches are working through it. We need to do that.”
