Former Arizona Coyotes' left winger Anthony Duclair reaches the Stanley Cup Final with the Florida Panthers
Former Arizona Coyotes’ left winger Anthony Duclair has made a major impact for the Florida Panthers through their run to the Stanley Cup Final.
Duclair played three seasons with the Coyotes from 2015-2018 tallying 74 points, 34 goals and 40 assists.
On Jan. 10, 2018, Arizona traded Duclair to the Chicago Blackhawks. Following the trade, Duclair made it clear that he requested out of Arizona due to a multitude of reasons.
“A combination, a bit of everything, I think. In that situation, I was a healthy scratch at times,” Duclair said during his first practice as a Blackhawk via the Chicago Sun-Times’ Mark Lazerus. “I didn’t have the leash that others had. Not going to say it was unfair to me, but at the same time, just talking to older guys on the team, as well, they felt like I deserved a little better, and I thought so, too. It wasn’t a decision I made overnight.”
While Duclair’s tenure in Arizona may have not ended in the way he would have hoped for, he still appreciated all of the Coyotes’ fans and voiced his support for hockey in the desert after being traded.
From 2018-2020, Duclair bounced around a few teams playing for the Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets and Ottawa Senators during that span before finally finding a steady home with the Panthers.
Duclair has now been in Florida for three seasons. His best statistical year came during the 2021-22 campaign where he helped the Panthers win the Presidents Trophy with his 58 points, 31 goals and 27 assists.
Through this year’s playoffs, Duclair has been extremely impactful for the Panthers playing as a top-six forward pairing with Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe. Duclair has recorded nine points, three goals and six assists in 15 playoff games so far.
Duclair is finally starting to blossom into the player that many thought he could become in Arizona.
It's been a long uphill battle for Duclair this year recovering from a torn achilles tendon he suffered back in July but he overcame all of it and is now ready to play in the biggest playoff series of his life.
“Obviously it's a great time, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and you work your whole life to get to this point,” Duclair said after practice Monday via NHL.com’s Alain Poupart.
“It's been a heck of a ride, long season obviously with the Achilles injury and my goal was to come back stronger than I was before. I worked pretty hard to get back to where I am and I'm very proud of myself and obviously very proud of the team to overcome a lot of adversities throughout the year and come back make the playoffs at the end and just to make the Final as an eighth seed is pretty special.”
The Stanley Cup Final will begin on Saturday, June 3, at 8:00 p.m. ET.