Stars’ Matt Duchene Placed on Long-Term IR

In a move aimed a creating much-needed cap flexibility, the Dallas Stars placed forward Matt Duchene on long-term injured reserve (LTIR). The transaction is retroactive to Oct. 18.

The team also announced that left wing Adam Erne was placed on LTIR retroactive to Nov. 11 due to a lower-body injury. He'll be out until at least Dec. 5.

Stars’ Forward Depth Has Been Tested

Duchene suffered an undisclosed injury after taking a big hit from Minnesota Wild defenseman Jake Middleton in the third period of the team’s fourth game of the season on Oct. 14. He didn't return to the contest and hasn’t seen game action since, though he has been an active participant in practice at times over the past month.

Jacob Middleton BLOWS UP Matt Duchene 😵💥 pic.twitter.com/GaZJjzvJDG
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) October 15, 2025

Immediately following the injury, Duchene was listed as day-to-day. In the instances when Duchene was skating with the team, he was seen wearing a tinted visor that he had never worn previously throughout his career.

The Stars’ forward depth has really had to rise to the occasion in Duchene’s absence. Mikko Rantanen has carried a significant portion of the load, but prolific scorers such as Jason Robertson – who was just named the NHL’s First Star of the Week after putting up nine points, six of which were goals, in Dallas’ last three games – Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston and Tyler Seguin have all stepped up. As a result, the Stars are second in the Central Division and are once again eying a shot at the Stanley Cup.

Need to Open Up Cap Space

Because Duchene’s LTIR placement is retroactive to Oct. 18, he has already served the minimum required time and could technically return at any moment. That means this roster maneuver could be a way to activate Jamie Benn, who has been on LTIR himself since the start of the season due to a collapsed lung. With his return imminent, the Stars needed to open up some cap space, and this could be the perfect way to do that.

In the short term, the Stars will need to call up players from their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, ahead of tomorrow night’s game against the New York Islanders. Injuries to defensemen like Ilya Lybushkin, listed as questionable, and Thomas Harley make adding additional bodies from the minor league ranks necessary. Placing both Duchene and Erne on LTIR frees up cap space to make these roster adjustments.

There is your cap space for needed help, especially if Lyubushkin can't go tomorrow and with the trip coming.

Duchene has already missed 10 games and 24 days since Oct. 18... So while we still don't know his return timeline, it doesn't actually set him back any further either. https://t.co/D9j5f93fGs
— Sam Nestler (@samnestler) November 17, 2025

Of course, there’s also the chance that Duchene hasn’t been progressing as well as the team thought, though with his frequent appearances at morning skate that seems unlikely. Still, the Stars could be preparing to be without one of their best players for even longer than initially thought, which is a blow. What’s worse is that Duchene was performing well prior to the hit by Middleton – he had scored two points in four games.

The only thing for Stars fans to do is wait and see. If this is just a move to get Benn back and add some additional depth, everything will be fine, and Duchene should be back playing hockey soon. But if it’s something worse, the Stars may have to search elsewhere for answers on how to replace Duchene’s production.

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