NHL free agency just got a whole lot more interesting with a two-time All-Star set to hit the open market. The Nashville Predators are buying out the remaining three years of center Matt Duchene's contract, according to Chris Johnston, making him an unrestricted free agent when free agency begins on Saturday.

Duchene was the Predators' leading goal scorer in each of the last two seasons and was among the league leaders in 2021-2022 with a career-high 43 in an 86-point campaign. Last season Duchene's numbers were back to around what he's averaged for his career as he netted 22 goals with 34 assists for 56 points.

A 14-year veteran at the age of 32, Duchene has nine seasons with 20 or more goals and two 30-plus goal campaigns. He has 744 points in 976 games and 25 points in 32 career playoff games in the NHL.

Duchene signed a seven-year, $56 million contract with the Predators in July 2019. He had cap hits of $8 million in each of the next three seasons. Nashville will save $9.32 million over that span with the buyout but will have Duchene on the books for $1.56 million from the 2026-2027 season through 2028-2029.

It is a surprising move for new Predators general manager Barry Trotz but one that he sees as beneficial to his future plans for the team. Nashville has not won a playoff series since 2018.

Matt Duchene is sure to be a hot commodity on the open market with several contending teams vying for his signature. He may not be a consistent 30-goal scorer, but he is a top-6 forward who has played well everywhere he's been throughout his NHL career.