Islanders’ Anthony Duclair granted ‘time off to reflect’
A player in Long Island is going to be taking some time away from his team.
On Thursday, Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News reported that New York Islanders forward Anthony Duclair has been granted a leave of absence, taking “time off to reflect.”
Patrick Roy says that he and Anthony Duclair had a long conversation this morning, a positive one.
Duclair told Roy that he needed some time off to reflect and Roy agreed to that. #Isles will give him all the time he needs.
The announcement comes just a couple of days after Islanders’ head coach Patrick Roy tore into Duclair following his performance in the team’s 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night.
“He was God awful. He had a bad game, and that’s why I didn’t play him a lot and he’s lucky to be in the lineup. Sorry if I lose it on him, but that’s how I feel,” Roy said post-game. “He’s not skating, he’s not competing, he’s not moving his feet. He’s not playing up to what we expect from him.”
Rosner reported that Roy and Duclair had a long and positive conversation on Thursday morning. Roy agreed to Duclair’s request to take some time off.
Roy and Duclair have a relationship that dates back to Duclair’s junior days, when he played under the Hall of Fame goaltender for two seasons with the Quebec Remparts.
In 43 games this season with the Isles, Duclair has just seven goals and 11 points, registering a plus/minus of -15 while averaging 15:06 of ice time per night.
The Pointe-Claire, Quebec native joined the Islanders this past offseason, signing a four-year contract with the team, with a cap hit of $3.5 million that carries through the 2027-28 campaign. The first two years of the deal have a full no-trade clause, with the final two seasons seeing Duclair have a modified no-trade clause.
The Islanders (32-32-10) sit sixth in the Metropolitan Division, five points back of the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.