"To be able to produce at the rate that he's producing, that's what we need as a team," Preds Head Coach John Hynes said of Duchene on Saturday. "But I think the production is part of what he is as a player, but it's also the way that he's playing the game this year is allowing him to be able to earn the minutes he's getting, and then be able to have the production that he's getting. When those things are tied together, now you have a player that can be a strong, offensive threat and can log big minutes, can play against any line. And as long as he continues with that work ethic and the competitiveness and the attention to detail he's playing with now, I don't see why he can't have a fantastic season."
So far, so good, and Duchene's teammates have taken note, too.
One of his linemates, Mikael Granlund, has had an equally impressive start to the season, but he's been the one collecting plenty of assists thanks to Duchene. Granlund dished out both of the helpers on Duchene's overtime winners during Nashville's six-game road trip, and the pair has clicked once more in the early going.
"We've been doing a lot of good things, and obviously Dutchy, he's doing a lot of good things, the way he's shooting the puck and finding the net," Granlund said. "That's great, and he keeps shooting and the puck is just finding its way to the net right now. And you know, I'm really happy for him. He's doing a lot of good things out there."
Predators Captain Roman Josi has been another one of Nashville's top performers to date, but he's also taken note of what Duchene's done to this point - and could he not?
"He's been huge for us," Josi said of Duchene. "I mean, when he goes like that, you can tell, like we're getting a lot of wins. He's creating chances all over the ice, obviously he's got the hot hand with the goals he had in the last couple of games, and he's just got to keep shooting it. He's doing an amazing job of creating chances, creating chances for himself, and it's a huge part of our success."
But of all the thoughts on Duchene that have been offered over the last little bit, No. 95 himself stated it best when asked how much he's been enjoying his start to the campaign.
"It's nice when the puck goes in the net," Duchene said with a grin. "That's for sure."
