Stars’ Matt Duchene out against Canucks with upper-body injury

An important veteran player is out of action on Thursday night.

When speaking to the media, Dallas Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan revealed that forward Matt Duchene will not be in the lineup when the team takes on the Vancouver Canucks due to an upper-body injury.

Duchene was seen participating in the morning skate on Thursday. Gulutzan noted that it was a day-of decision to keep Duchene out of action, but the team deemed that it was wise to keep him out for another game.

Duchene suffered the injury in the Stars’ matchup with the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday. When skating the puck through the neutral zone, he was laid out by a hard hit from Wild defenseman Jacob Middleton, who caught the 34-year-old in the head. Duchene was able to skate off under his own power, but didn’t return to the game.

The longtime center potted his first goal of the season in the game. He logged 9:45 of ice time across 13 shifts, putting two shots on goal as well. Dallas went on to win the game, 5-2.

Through three games this season, Duchene has registered two points, having notched an assist in a 5-4 win over the Winnipeg Jets last Thursday. He has a plus/minus of +2 while averaging 13:59 of ice time.

Duchene entered the 2025-26 season fresh off signing a four-year contract extension. The deal carries an AAV of $4.5 million through the 2028-29 season.

In 1,141 NHL regular-season games, Duchene has scored 372 goals and 521 assists for 893 points, with another 37 points coming in 69 playoff contests.

The Stars (3-0-0) will hit the road after Thursday’s game, taking on the St. Louis Blues on Saturday.