I never thought I would be saying this, but Matt Duchene has been a godsend for the Dallas Stars the past two seasons. I was a little skeptical when the Stars first signed him after his buyout with the Nashville Predators. However, over the past two seasons, Duchene has excelled during his time with the Stars. However, I've never seen a fan base divided over an extension like the one he just signed. It's a head-scratcher, if you ask me, based on some fans complaining who were massive Duchene fans during the regular season last year.
You can't get young too quickly, and Duchene is a veteran who will bring a lot of experience to the Stars next season. That's the type of player that you want to keep around if you want to compete for the Stanley Cup. While four years is a bit steep for an aging veteran, he's the type of scoring veteran you want to keep around. Even though I'm sure he's excited to remain with the Dallas Stars organization, Duchene needs to live up to his new extension. That even means during the postseason, where he completely disappeared last season.
Duchene only scored one goal during the Western Conference Finals last year. That was his only goal of the postseason run. With how much the Stars are paying him to remain in Dallas, that can't happen next season. The Stars need him to be one of those postseason players like Brad Marchand was for the Florida Panthers. Marchand was one of the leading players on the Panthers' roster that helped them win their second consecutive Stanley Cup.
That's the type of player the Stars need Duchene to be in the Stanley Cup Playoffs next season. I'm not worried about him during the regular season because he's been one of the players who's been scoring over 20 goals and being the player teams have double-teamed. I think the Stars fanbase is more afraid of which version of Duchene will appear in the playoffs next season. That's why some fans are very concerned with the long extension that Duchene was offered this offseason.
In conclusion, I'm sure Duchene will live up to his new contract over the next four seasons in Dallas. I'm not too concerned about which version will show up in the playoffs next season. Duchene has said he wants to continue living in Dallas, and I'm sure he will play like he doesn't want to get traded. The Stars have a bright future with Duchene's experience and expertise. I know the next wave of Stars players will benefit from his NHL journey.