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Duclair lost a large chunk of the 2022-23 campaign to an Achilles injury, limiting him to nine points in 20 games. It's fair to assume a little bit of rust and the pressures of joining a playoff race midseason played a role in his struggles. He was marginally better with 11 points in 20 playoff outings. All of that wasn't enough to keep him in Florida, as he was dealt to the Sharks in early July. While it's a downgrade in terms of environment, playing on San Jose's rebuilding roster likely guarantees Duclair a top-six role and ample power-play time as he looks to get back into the form that saw him rack up 31 goals and 58 points in 2021-22. He could end up being a nice under-the-radar pick in this year's fantasy drafts.
Duclair bounced around a ton early in NHL career before finding a home with the Panthers. He was good two years ago (10 goals, 32 points in 43 games), but even better last season, finishing with 31 goals, 58 points, 167 shots on goal, 21 power-play points, and a plus-19 rating in 74 games. Duclair had emerged as a key cog for one of the NHL's best teams, but an Achilles injury suffered in late June required surgery and is likely to sideline Duclair for a large part of the 2022-23 campaign. Duclair will be just 27 years old in late August, so there's plenty of time for a comeback, but he can be ignored in all redraft leagues this fall.
The 25-year-old journeyman has played for six different NHL teams in seven seasons, but Duclair may have found a home in Florida. He posted the best point-per-game average of his career last year, and given his 9.6 shooting percentage, there's room for improvement in his 10 goals through 43 games. He also posted a massive plus-27 rating after four straight campaigns in the negatives, a credit both to the work he's put in to become a better defender but also the outstanding season the Panthers as a whole had. Duclair's 57.6 percent CorsiFor backed up his development, and he was rewarded for his efforts with a three-year contract in July. Look for Duclair to steady one of the Panther's middle-six lines while seeing occasional shifts on the man advantage.
Duclair spent the 2019-20 campaign with the Senators, picking up 23 goals and 40 points, eight of which came with the man advantage, while averaging 16:16 of ice time in 66 contests. The 25-year-old winger signed a one-year, $1.7 million contract with the Panthers in December, and he should jump into a top-six role while seeing plenty of power-play time with his new club in 2020-21. Duclair will have the potential to produce at a 25-plus goal, 45-plus point pace this season, making him an appealing bench option in the later rounds of fantasy drafts.
Duclair was traded midseason for a second straight year in 2018-19, but he handled it better this time around, scoring 19 goals and 33 points while posting a minus-2 rating in 74 games split between the Blue Jackets and Senators. Of course, it helped that he was able to stay healthy and appear in an 18 additional games than he did in 2017-18. Duclair has already played for five teams during his five-year career, but he still won't turn 24 until August. In his last full NHL season prior to 2018-19, Duclair scored 20 goals and 44 points while registering a plus-12 rating in 81 games with Arizona in 2015-16. The 2013 third-round pick has the potential to post similar offensive totals in 2019-20 if he remains healthy and manages to stay with the Senators for the entirety of the campaign.
Duclair spent the first half of the 2017-18 season with the Coyotes, notching nine goals and 15 points in 33 contests before being dealt to Chicago, where he added two goals and eight points in 23 appearances. The Blackhawks weren't interested in re-signing the 2013 third-round pick, so he was forced to pen a one-year, $650,000 “prove-it” deal with the Blue Jackets in July. Duclair leaves no room for optimism concerning his chances at success with his new club, so fantasy owners shouldn't have him on their radars heading into drafts this season.
Little broke Duclair's way in 2016-17, as the winger collected just five goals and 15 points through 58 games. His eight points (one tally) during a 16-game AHL stint weren't impressive, either. It would obviously be foolish to write off his fantasy potential entering his age-22 campaign, and it's also important to note that Duclair is no longer exempt from waivers. He should be given every opportunity to carve out a significant role with the Coyotes in training camp. Don't forget, Duclair is just a year removed from scoring 20 goals and 44 points as a 20-year-old rookie, so there's still plenty of upside.
Duclair exploded for 20 goals and 24 helpers to go along with a plus-12 rating (tops on the team) and 49 PIM in his first full NHL campaign last year, establishing himself as one of the league's most poimising young forwards. The 20-year-old didn’t take a ton of shots – 105, to be exact – but showed extreme efficiency, scoring at a 19 percent clip. Those numbers are great for a second-year winger, although they could have been even better if he saw more ice time, as he averaged only 14:23. Max Domi and Duclair have a natural ability to connect with each other, and with veteran Antoine Vermette at the helm, a repeat performance – or better – is on the horizon. He'll continue making the Rangers regret dealing him for Keith Yandle for years to come.
Before his trade to the Coyotes in March, Duclair surprisingly made the Rangers roster out of training camp and played 18 games with the big club, recording seven points. After his playing time began to wane, Duclair returned to his junior team in the QMJHL, where he was slowed by an injury for part of the season and finished with 34 points in 24 games. In between his time with the Rangers and his junior club, Duclair starred for Canada at the World Junior Championship, showing the look of a top-six forward at the NHL level. He could attain that status right out of training camp this coming season, as the Coyotes were among the worst offensive teams in the league in 2014-15 and could desperately use an infusion of scoring talent on their top two lines. If Duclair is able to claim a featured role, the 20-year-old should show off high-end offensive abilities right away, though his plus/minus rating could suffer. He could potentially skate next to WJC teamate Max Domi to form an electric duo for the Coyotes both this year and into the future.
Considered one of the crown jewels of the Rangers’ prospect stash, Duclair spent last season terrorizing the QMJHL. The 5-foot-11 forward logged 99 points (50 goals) in 59 games with the Quebec Remparts before his campaign was derailed by a concussion. In spite of the missed time, Duclair still showed real growth, burying 30 more pucks than the previous year in just four additional games. Although Rangers assistant GM Jeff Gorton has recently said that he won’t rule out the possibility of the 19-year-old making the NHL team out of camp, he still retains one season of eligibility left in juniors. While it seems like a long shot that Duclair is this year's Nathan MacKinnon, the possibility still exists there. Dynasty owners should have already pounced on this one; deep league annual re-drafters should monitor his progress in camp, because it's entirely possible he gets at least a nine-game tryout before the Rangers send him back to juniors.
Selected in the third round (80th overall) of the 2013 draft, this 17-year-old forward is said to have exceptional acceleration and ability to process a play quickly. Through 118 regular season games with the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL, Duclair has amassed 116 points (51 goals, 55 assists), 72 penalty minutes and a plus-61 rating. The postseason doesn't seem to impact his offensive prowess either, nabbing six goals and 10 assists through 22 games for the Remparts. Though most scouts suggest he will need a lot of time to develop, the 5'11, 182-pound Duclair is certainly worthy of consideration for those in keeper leagues.