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Report: Predators expected to sign Matt Duchene to deal worth $8M AAV

Matt Duchene is expected to sign a lucrative contract with the Nashville Predators. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Nashville Predators are expected to sign forward Matt Duchene to a contract worth an average annual value (AAV) of $8 million per season, according to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston.

Although terms of the imminent deal couldn’t be confirmed until July 1, Duchene is expected to sign a seven-year deal worth $56 million, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports.

Duchene split the 2018-19 season between the Ottawa Senators and Columbus Blue Jackets, posting a combined 70 points in 73 games. He helped the Blue Jackets to one of the biggest upsets in NHL history, as the team swept the top-seeded Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the playoffs, before being eliminated by the Boston Bruins in their next series.

The 28-year-old helped Canada win gold at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Widely considered one of the best free agents available this summer, it’s a major coup for the Predators, who recently traded star defenseman P.K. Subban to the New Jersey Devils, in an attempt to clear up cap space.

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