One of the biggest question marks for the Islanders following last season’s second straight first-round playoff loss to the Carolina Hurricanes was if the team could find a solution to who could join Mat Barzal and Bo Horvat to complete the Isles’ first line.
With training camp set to start later this week at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow, the Islanders could very well have found that solution in free agent acquisition Anthony Duclair who signed a four-year deal back in July.
The 28-year-old Duclair is pumped up to be an Islander.
“I’m just really excited,” said Duclair on Monday at the annual Islanders Children’s Foundation golf outing at Glen Oaks Club in Old Westbury.
“Going into free agency, I had a lot of decisions to make and I just felt looking at this lineup I can fit in really easy. I’m just looking forward to, whoever I’m playing with, build chemistry as fast as possible.”
When camp opens on Thursday, Duclair will get his shot to show that he belongs on the top line.
“I’m very happy to that he joined the team,” said Islanders Head Coach Patrick Roy who coached Duclair in junior hockey. “He brings speed to our team. We’ll try him at the beginning (of camp) with Bo and Barzy and see how it goes and we’ll go from there. I think he’s going to be a good help to our team.”
It will certainly be fascinating to see how Duclair fits in with Barzal and Horvat.
Last season, Duclair had 24 goals and 18 assists for 42 points over 73 combined regular season games for the Lightning and Sharks. His skill set will certainly be a big addition to the Islanders.
“Fast high skill and good IQ and his compete level seems to be really high so I think it’s a great addition,” said Barzal. “He’s smart and he’s got skill and he can shoot the puck. Anyone who gets to play with him is going to be lucky. His smile is infectious and he’s got an infectious personality.”
Duclair notched 146 goals and 157 assists for 303 points in 563 regular season games over the first ten years of his career. This season, if he lands on the first line come opening night, he could put up numbers like never before in his career.
To say he’s excited about playing with Barzal and Horvat would be an understatement.
“(Barzal) is a really exciting player and a superstar in this league,” said Duclair. “I’m super-excited to be his teammate. A lot of those superstar players really love to compete and he’s one of those guys so I’m really looking forward to playing with him and creating some magic out there.”
“(Horvat) is a really solid 200-foot player and a guy you can rely upon in any situation. He’s another guy I’m really excited to play with and learn from. He’s got those leadership skills and just a really good person all-around.”
The Islanders didn’t make a huge splash in free agency and because of their cap problems weren’t able to make too many changes to the roster for this season. But Anthony Duclair could very well turn out to be an under the radar signing that could give the Islanders’ offense a big spark. If that happens, don’t be surprised to see lots of number 11 jerseys popping up in the seats at UBS Arena.
Local News
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