Predators add big piece of reshuffling with Matt Duchene signing

The Nashville Predators and Matt Duchene were linked to one another heading into free agency, and now the signing is official.

Coming off a first-round playoff exit, some big change seemed possible this offseason for the Nashville Predators. A trade of defenseman P.K. Subban and his $9 million cap hit seemed possible, and the deal that sent him to the New Jersey Devils confirmed a bold, if calculated and specific, offseason plan. On Monday, the team announced it has signed center Matt Duchene to a seven-year, $56 million deal.

Duchene matched his career-high in points last season with 70 (31 goals, 39 assists) over 73 games with the Ottawa Senators and Columbus Blue Jackets. He tallied 10 points in 10 playoff games for the Blue Jackets.

Ryan Johansen capably centers Nashville’s top line, but Kyle Turris left a lot to be desired as the No. 2 center last season (23 points, -6 over 55 games). With good depth on the blue line (Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm, Ryan Ellis), Subban became a piece general manager David Poile could part with to subsequently add offense up front. Said Poile,

"Our objective this offseason was to bolster our offense, and signing Matt Duchene gives us another dynamic goal-scoring, playmaking center. We are excited to add his skill and experience to our top-six forwards and look forward to the next seven years of Matt and his family in Smashville. Matt’s love of country music and passion for the city of Nashville make this partnership a perfect fit."

The Predators now nearly have a full roster, with the requisite bit of cap space.

Once the Predators officially emerged as a suitor, Duchene seemed to be a lock for them even as he still explored all his options in free agency. Now it’s official, and Nashville has shifted the balance of their roster to address a need in a big way.