Duclair has one year remaining on his contract that pays an AAV of $3 million

The Florida Panthers enter the busiest week of the offseason in win-now mode.

Florida is fresh off a Stanley Cup Final appearance and the team features a roster of mostly returning players that will be hungry to achieve the goal they came within three wins of reaching.

General Manager Bill Zito also has something this summer he didn’t a year ago, and that’s money to spend.

The Panthers around $11.2 million in cap space to work with this summer, and that number will certainly fluctuate in the coming days and weeks as potential signings and trades occur.

Currently the league has converged on Nashville for the NHL Draft, with begins Wednesday night at Bridgestone Arena.

As the week has gone by, reports began to emerge that Florida may be willing to part ways with speedy winger Anthony Duclair in a trade as the Panthers are looking to bolster their back line. 

The interesting thing about that is that Duclair represents himself. He is his own agent.

The Duke is entering the final year of a three-year extension he negotiated and signed in July of 2021, just a few months after he initially decided to bet on himself with Florida on a one-year deal.

His current contract pays out an average annual value (AAV) of $3 million, which is quite reasonable for a player of Duclair’s talent and ability.

During his first two seasons with the Panthers, Duclair’s game grew by leaps and bounds.

He continued to use his high-end speed while playing a more well-rounded, 200-foot game.

Now Duclair will enter the 2023-24 season fully healthy and healed after offseason Achilles surgery kept him from the majority of the past regular season.

THN has learned that multiple teams have already inquired with the Panthers about acquiring Duclair, a list that includes a pair of teams on the other side of the continent, Calgary and Vancouver.

Flames defensemen Nikita Zadarov and Noah Hanifin are names to keep an eye on, though with Vancouver, there is some question regarding what the return could be.

It’s unlikely that either Tyler Myers, who is due a $5 million bonus payment, or Filip Hronek will be moved.

Duclair spoke on Tuesday from the Ice Den in Coral Springs, where the Anthony Duclair Foundation was hosting a four-day youth hockey camp.

Asked if he had been in touch with the team regarding any potential trades, Duclair said no.

Being that he acts as his own agent, Duclair was also asked about signing a possible extension with Florida.

“I have not,” he said. “I have been fully focused on this camp, and then my focus is on the camp in Montreal after, and that’s it for now.”

There is a growing belief that Duclair will be traded this week.

Stay tuned.