Former Ottawa Senator Anthony Duclair was off to a decent start this season, posting two goals and an assist in the New York Islanders’ first five games. Unfortunately, Duclair’s season hit a major road bump on Saturday with an apparent leg injury in Saturday’s game versus the Canadiens.
Today, the Islanders announced that the 29-year-old would miss four to six weeks with the injury.
Duclair suffered the injury while carrying the puck into Montreal’s zone, trying to split Montreal’s defence. As he tried to start cutting to the net, Jayden Struble shoved him to the outside, sending him spinning out of control.
The injury came at a terrible time for Duclair, who seemed to have found some stability after making eight other NHL stops in his career. Not only was he in a good place, signing a four-year, $14M deal in free agency over the summer, but he was also getting a career-high 16:30 of average ice time and often skated with Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat.
Duclair played a season and a half with the Senators, posting 23 goals in 66 games in 2019-20, then became a UFA when the Senators declined to extend to him a qualifying offer on a new contract, making him a UFA.
Along with Ottawa and the Islanders, Duclair’s career has also taken him to the New York Rangers, Arizona Coyotes, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, San Jose Sharks, and Tampa Bay Lightning.
