Breaking: Dallas stars closing in on deal to sign 65-point scorer center.

The Dallas Stars signed a bought-out player before of the 2023-24 season, contributing to one of the best redemption tales of the year.

Now that the campaign is over, Bleacher Report’s Eric Beaston predicts that the Stars will re-sign pending free agent forward Matt Duchene.

“The deal will have to be mutually beneficial for the team and player but Duchene made the Stars a better team, and he clearly wants to be there,” according to Beaston. “Expect them to make it work.”

For background, Duchene recently completed his one-year, $3 million contract with Dallas. He scored 25 goals and 65 points in 80 regular-season games.

The veteran forward joined the Stars after the Nashville Predators bought him out. The Predators regretted committing him to a lucrative $56 million contract and cut Duchene before the 2024 season. His performance this season, however, made the Predators look bad for letting him go.

According to reports, Matt Duchene and the Dallas Stars have expressed mutual interest in extending his contract.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet revealed in the June 3 episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast that Dallas wishes to keep Duchene.

Duchene indicated his desire to remain in Dallas by negotiating a contract extension before or after the start of free agency during an interview with The Sweep Spot on Sprotsradio 96.7FM/1310 the Ticket on June 10.

“Money is definitely not the No. 1 bucket and never has been for me,” Duchene told reporters. “Especially at this stage in my career. I’ve been quite fortunate to have had some excellent contracts, and I have some terrific people working on them.

“But, you know, you want to fill each of those buckets, and Dallas did exactly that for me this year. And we will definitely discuss and attempt to make something happen. So, I’m looking forward to that. I hope we can figure it out fast. And I can’t say enough positive things about this group.”

Contract predictions from Evolving Hockey suggest a three-year, $7 million average annual value (AAV) deal for Duchene. Dallas is slated to have $16.2 million in cap space entering the offseason, which is enough to cover Duchene’s expected salary.

With Duchene still being paid by Nashville, there is a potential Dallas can sign him to a lower-value contract for the remainder of the Predators’ payments through 2029.

According to Beaston, Duchene prioritizes his comfort in Dallas over pursuing a lucrative contract. He has been a key contributor to the Stars, averaging 16:45 minutes of ice time per game alongside teammates Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston, and Jason Robertson.

“In March of last year, I lost the end of my finger. I underwent three operations, was caught off guard, became a free agent, and signed here. I’m still here three days later looking for a house. I have three kids at home. “I fly here and there, start camp, new teammates, new system, new coaches, new everything,” Duchene told Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News, per Beaston.

“I’m a human person at the end of the day, and I was racing around like a robot for eight or nine months. This team is ready to win right now, which was vital to me.

The Stars will need to balance their cap sheets by signing and releasing players. However, given Joe Pavelski’s retirement, it’s safe to believe they’ll have enough reasons (and cap space) to give Duchene an extension.