The Florida Panthers are a wagon right now. They are second in the Atlantic Division and fourth in the NHL with a record of 37-16-4 with 78 points. They trail the Boston Bruins for first in the division by just two points.
The trade deadline is in two weeks, and the Panthers are looking to load up their roster. Rumors have already connected them to land Calgary Flames defenseman Noah Hanafin. But more concerning is that The Athletic suggested that San Jose Sharks forward Anthony Duclair should return home to South Florida (from ‘2024 NHL trade deadline perfect fits: Proposals for Jacob Markström, Chris Tanev and more’ The Athletic, Feb. 20, 2024).
Ultimately, the trade would not pan out for Florida – the team and Duclair have changed significantly over the past couple of seasons.
Paul Maurice’s Scheme Does Not Fit Duclair’s Style of Play
The Panthers and head coach Paul Maurice have a strong defensive scheme, and they score goals by playing a physical game and grinding on the forecheck. This is why they have players who don’t mind getting dirty, like Matthew Tkachuk, Jonah Gadjovich and Nick Cousins.
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Duclair has always been a run-and-gun player, as his speed generates plays entering the offensive zone. However, it hasn’t worked out for him this season, as he only has 11 goals and a shooting percentage (S%) of 13.8% with San Jose. Furthermore, his defensive game is not great, given his minus-12 rating, and he has never been a physical player, with 32 hits on the year. If this was pre-Maurice, which featured a more skill-driven strategy, it would make sense to add Duclair – it is why he was brought to Florida in the first place. But those years are long gone.
Duclair Is Not the Same Player He Once Was
While he has been on a struggling Sharks team this season, his play declined in an injury-shortened 2022-23, his final season in Florida. In three seasons with the Panthers, he scored 43 goals and 56 assists. In 34 playoff games, he had five goals and 14 points.
Before the start of 2022-23, he suffered an Achilles injury that required surgery and kept him out until after the All-Star Break. He has yet to return to form, and he’s not producing anywhere close to the same numbers he had in Florida – he has also missed time again this season.
Duclair’s Cap Hit a Problem
The Panthers signed Duclair to a contract worth $3 million per season for three seasons in 2021 and management only has roughly $5 million to work with before the deadline.
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If general manager Bill Zito were to pull the trigger on this trade, he would have only $2 million in cap space to land any of the big names that have been rumored to be coming down south.
Duclair’s Return Not in the Cards
Duclair still does work for the South Florida community and still has strong ties to Broward County. Even after he was traded, he assisted in building a synthetic ice rink in Lauderdale Lakes, the first ever in the county. But a return to the Panthers just isn’t in the cards.
He did a lot for the organization during his time with the Cats. He assisted in their run to an Eastern Conference championship. In addition, he got his first taste of Stanley Cup playoff action with them. But in the end, the NHL is still a business. As sweet as it would be, he won’t be coming back as a Panther in the future.