Duclair Confident & Capable Of Complementing Barzal & Horvat On Islanders Top Line

Duclair is ready to go alongside Horvat and Barzal.

EAST MEADOW, NY -- There was reason for optimism when the New York Islanders announced that they had signed forward Anthony Duclair to a four-year deal worth $3.5 million annually.

Duclair, 29, brought the raw speed that the Islanders' top line, consisting of Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat, needed.

But there was reason for speculation, for a few reasons. 

Duclair had bounced around the NHL over his 10 years in the league, with the Islanders now being his ninth team. 

But the real speculation was not so much about Duclair but about the Islanders never getting that true, elite top-line forward.

They've just been hoping that middle-six players on the roster could fill that hole.

While the regular season hasn't started yet, Duclair has fitted that top line like a glove, so far.

Duclair doesn't just bring speed. He brings a high IQ level, a physical presence in the corners, and an ability to score with a lethal shot. 

The new top line shined bright in their first preseason game against the New York Rangers, but they were even better in their regular-season finale against the cross-town rival, recording 10 points.

Barzal led the way with a goal and four primary assists, Duclair recorded a goal and two assists, and Horvat notched two goals. 

"I think Duclair will be perfect for Barzal and Horvat," Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said on Tuesday afternoon. "I think we saw something very special against the Rangers. And I'm sure they're going to have a lot of good nights like that. All I want is to see them connecting together, playing together, and backing up each other on tracking."

Although the trio has only been playing together for a few weeks and a few games, it's as if they've been skating together for years. 

It may surprise us how quickly the three have developed chemistry, but it does not surprise Duclair in the slightest. 

"I wouldn’t say I'm shocked," Duclair said, laughing. "I would say it's just about the work we've put in off the ice. The product you see on the ice comes from a lot of meetings, a lot of talks amongst us three, before practice and after practice. We’re all hockey nerds. We all watch other games, all watch other players, and we see and tell each other each and every day what we see out there, different plays, and different things like that.

"We're always talking to each other, so I'm not too surprised about the chemistry building. It's only going to get better, and I'm looking forward to it.”

When Horvat arrived on Long Island, he and Barzal looked tremendous with one another. 

Barzal is a very hard player to read, given his unpredictability, so it takes a special kind of player to have success alongside him. 

That's why the Islanders didn't just need to bring in goal-scoring talent like Horvat but also players with impeccable IQs, which Horvat proved to have.

Duclair is proving to be no different.

“I love playing with guys like Barzal," Duclair said. "I think I proved it in the past, playing with elite players, that I can produce. I think I'm a good complementary player to those guys. I can't do what they do, but I know what they're thinking. I know what the reads are, and that's what allows me to be successful with those top players.

"I'm just going to try to be my best, to be consistent each and every night. It is a long year. I know we're going to have bad nights, and it happens, but just continuing that progress between us three is going to be huge."

Duclair, Horvat, Barzal, and the Islanders kick off their regular season at UBS Arena on Oct. 10 against the Utah Hockey Club.