Former Rangers forward ‘taking some time off to reflect’ after ripped by Islanders coach
Former New York Rangers forward Anthony Duclair is going to take some time away from his current team, the New York Islanders – perhaps for the remainder of the regular season.
Duclair was not on the ice for practice Thursday morning, two days after coach Patrick Roy ripped into him for lack of effort in a 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“This morning, Anthony and I had a very good conversation, a very positive one,” Roy told reporters after practice. “Anthony asked me to take some time off to reflect. So obviously I agreed to that, and we’ll give him all the time that he needs.”
The 29-year-old was minus-1 and played just 12:15 in the loss to the Lightning, the Islanders’ sixth straight. They are 32-32-10, five points out of the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot with eight games remaining, beginning Friday, when they host the Minnesota Wild.
Veteran Matt Martin, who hasn’t dressed since Jan. 16, is expected to take Duclair’s spot in the lineup and play on the fourth line, with Maxim Tsyplakov bumping up to the second line.
Roy and Duclair have a relationship that dates back to Duclair’s junior days, when he played under the Hall of Fame goaltender for two seasons with the Quebec Remparts. But that didn’t stop Roy from being critical (to say the least) of Duclair’s play after the loss to the Lightning.
“He was God-awful,” Roy said. “He had a bad game. That’s why I didn’t play him a lot. He is lucky to be in the lineup. Sorry if I lose it on him right now, but that’s just how I feel.
“He’s not skating, he’s not competing, he’s not moving his feet. He’s not playing up to what we expect from him … I think it’s an effort thing.”
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2011 Rangers pick Anthony Duclair takes time away from Islanders
The Islanders signed Duclair to a four-year, $14 million ($3.5 million average annual value) contract last summer as an unrestricted free agent, but the signing hasn’t paid off. He has 11 points (seven goals, four assists) in 44 games and missed two months with a severe lower-body injury. Duclair is pointless in his past six games and had just two points in March.
In 607 NHL games with the Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, San Jose Sharks, Florida Panthers, Ottawa Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks, Arizona Coyotes and the Rangers, he has 153 goals and 314 points.
Duclair was selected by the Rangers in the third round (No. 80 overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft. He made his NHL debut with the Blueshirts as a 19-year-old during the 2014-15 season, but his time on Broadway lasted all of 18 games.
Later that season, Duclair was a part of the package that brought Keith Yandle to New York from the Coyotes. He’s has been a journeyman ever since – the Islanders are his ninth NHL team.
He made his only NHL All-Star Game with the Senators in 2019-20, finishing with 23 goals and 40 points in the pandemic-abbreviated season. He had his first and only 30-goal season in 2021-22, scoring 31 times to help the Panthers win the Presidents’ Trophy.
Duclair has a full no-trade clause in the first two years of his contract, according to Puckpedia, and a modified NTC in the second two, so it’s not like he’s going anywhere anytime soon. But with no guarantee that he’ll play again in 2024-25, it’s safe to say his first season on Long Island is an unmitigated failure.
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