Duclair was traded to San Jose on Saturday for Steven Lorentz and a fifth-round pick
The Florida Panthers were one of the busier teams on the opening weekend of free agency.
Nearly a dozen new contracts were handed out, but it was a trade that grabbed many of the Florida-related headlines.
Speedy winger Anthony Duclair was traded to the San Jose Sharks for forward Steven Lorentz and a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Duclair’s name had been mentioned as a potential trade chip for several days, and there was belief a move would be made at last week’s NHL Draft in Nashville.
Still, Duclair said Monday during his introductory press conference with the San Jose media that he was still surprised by the trade.
“Honestly, just a little shocked,” Duclair said. “At the same time, just speaking with (Sharks General Manager) Mike (Grier) and management, it turned the shock quickly to excitement.”
Interestingly enough, Duclair said he had a feeling that something like this could happen, dating back to his exit meetings in South Florida a couple weeks ago.
“I definitely heard my name a few times,” he said of the recent rumors. “Even after the end of the year meeting, I knew that Florida was going to make some moves, especially how the year went and making it to the Finals.”
Duclair is no stranger to new beginnings.
San Jose will be his seventh NHL team in just ten years in the league.
Leaving a team, a fanbase, and good friends behind, he said, is never easy.
“The relationship I have with the organization and my ex-teammates there, and even the community...you don't expect to leave,” Duclair said. “At the same time, I know that it's a business and I've been through this a couple of times already, so I know how to handle it, I never take it personally and I just keep moving forward, keep your head up, and I'm just looking forward to the new opportunity here.”
Duclair said after the trade he reached out to several people familiar with the Sharks organization, including his former Panthers teammate Joe Thornton, who spent 15 seasons in San Jose.
“He’s going to take me under his wing,” Duclair said.
Coming off a season in which he was limited to just 20 regular season games due to Achilles surgery, Duclair said he feels he’s back to full strength and anxious to put the injury behind him.
“I think for myself it's a big summer,” he said. “I want to make sure that I come to camp in shape and ready to go. My goal is to play 82-plus games. I haven't done that my career yet. For myself, it's just staying available, staying healthy and just taking care of the body as much as I can so I can provide and help win games as much as I can.
“It's a tough injury to come back from, and it takes a lot of patience, but at the same time, I think just putting the trust in my trainers and the medical staff there in Florida, they've helped me so much to get to get over that hump. I think I'm back to 100%, and I still have to keep working on it all summer and want to make sure that there's no issues coming in at the training camp.”