New York Islanders
Anthony Duclair Being Given Time Off by Islanders
After being called out by his coach, Anthony Duclair is taking some time away from the New York Islanders organization.
Following a public lashing by head coach Patrick Roy, the New York Islanders are reportedly giving forward Anthony Duclair some time away from the team. Stefen Rosner reported on Thursday, “Patrick Roy says that he and Anthony Duclair had a long conversation this morning, a positive one. Duclair told Roy that he needed some time off to reflect, and Roy agreed to that. Isles will give him all the time he needs.”
This news comes a couple of days after Roy described Duclair’s play as “godawful” and said he was “lucky to be in the lineup.” It was seen by many as a step too far for a coach to lay into a player to that degree publicly, even if the consensus was that Duclair had not played well.
Some are wondering if this is the end of Duclair’s run with the team. He’s got time remaining on his contract — a $3.5 million per season deal that runs until 2028. At the same time, things haven’t exactly been smooth sailing for Duclair, and the last person to take some time away from their team this season was J.T. Miller in Vancouver. He was ultimately traded to the New York Rangers.
Duclair has only seven goals and 11 points in 44 games this season. The fact that the Islanders are giving Duclair time during a playoff chase speaks to how little they believe he can make a difference in games that matter. The Islanders aren’t mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, but they’ve lost several games in a row.
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