When free agency opened on July 1st, the New York Islanders roster had a big area for improvement that needed to be addressed. They needed to acquire a goal-scoring winger to help bolster the team’s offensive production. General Manager Lou Lamoriello wasted no time and on the first day of free agency acquired a player he hopes will fill that need. The acquisition comes in the form of left-winger Anthony Duclair. He joins the Islanders on a four-year, $14 million contract, which works out to $3.5 million AAV.
#Isles News: President/General Manager Lou Lamoriello announced today that the team has signed Anthony Duclair to a four-year contract.
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) July 1, 2024
All About the New York Islanders Anthony Duclair
28 year-old Duclair, drafted 80th overall in the third round of the 2013 NHL entry draft by the New York Rangers. He appeared in only 18 games for the Rangers in 2014-15. He was traded to the Arizona Coyotes in that 2015 offseason, where he played two and a half seasons. Duclair’s next move took him to the Chicago Blackhawks. This was followed by stints with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Ottawa Senators. He then joined the Florida Panthers in 2020 on a one-year deal, but ended up spending the next three seasons there. Duclair signed a three-year, $9 million contract extension with the Panthers in the 2021 offseason. He responded by recording his best season as a pro in 2021-22 scoring 58 points in 74 games. In 2022-23, his last season with the Panthers, he had a good playoff run scoring four goals and seven assists to help the team reach the Stanley Cup finals.
Just Out of Grasp
Anthony Duclair’s missed out on the cup and his time with the Florida Panthers came to end, sending him to the San Jose Sharks due to salary cap constraints. He struggled to produce offensively on a rebuilding team, scoring 27 points (16 goals and 11 assists) in 56 games. Then, the Tampa Bay Lightning picked him up at the trade deadline and he turned his season around. Tampa put him on their top line, nurturing him to become a nearly point-per-game player. Recording eight goals in a month and added seven assists for 15 points in 17 games. Now he has parlayed that great play in a prominent role to a long-term agreement with the Islanders. The Islanders will be the ninth team he has played for. Being on that many teams might raise some red flags but most of it was out of his control. He either ended up on a rebuilding team like Arizona, Chicago, and Columbus. Or his current team couldn’t afford to keep him like Ottawa, Florida, or Tampa.
How Does He Fit With the Islanders?
Where is the potential impact of Anthony Duclair? Duclair should slot right in on the Islanders top line next to Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal. This spot was a revolving door for most of last season. The two stars saw many different linemates including Anders Lee, Simon Holmstrom, Casey Cizikas, and Brock Nelson. It will be beneficial for all parties to get some consistency and continuity on the top line. New York needs this kind of jolt offensively as they ranked 22nd in goals for this season, which is in the bottom half of the league. Duclair should also play on the Islanders top power play, a unit that ranked 19th in the league this season. New York also ranked 19th in shots on goal and in shooting percentage. The 2023-24 Islanders played defence first. Leading to setbacks in these offensive areas, especially in post-season play. Duclair was brought in to help the team improve in these areas.
Duclair brings the scoring touch they’ve lacked scoring 30 goals in 2021-22 with Florida. While scoring 20 goals in three other seasons and finishing with 19 in another. In addition, he finished with over 100 shots on goal in six seasons and had another with 97. His shooting percentage for a career sits at 13.8 percent. His speed, willingness to forecheck, and retrieve the puck will ease pressure off Barzal and Horvat. Moreover, Duclair fits with Head Coach Patrick Roy as well, having played for him during his junior days with the Quebec Remparts and shared that Roy was the reason he chose Long Island. In the two seasons that Duclair spent with Roy he put up 116 points in 118 games, en route to developing into an NHL-ready player. Duclair also fits with the team colours.
Main photo: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
First look at Anthony Duclair in #Isles gear
📸: ap_hockeygroup/IG pic.twitter.com/CvNsmncQYp
— Rob Taub (@RTaub_) July 19, 2024
Main photo by: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
