For years the New York Islanders have been searching for a top-six winger on the open market and it appears they got him, signing veteran left-winger Anthony Duclair to a four-year deal on Monday.
According to reports, the deal carries an average annual value (AAV) of $3.5 million.
The 28-year-old has often been linked to the Islanders for years as a repeated member of the NHL rumor mill whether it be on the trade block or free agency. This will be Duclair’s ninth team in 11 professional seasons — a career that began on Broadway with the New York Rangers — but now he has the security of a long-term deal.
A Quebec native, Duclair has provided consistent goal-scoring in recent years regardless of where he has played. Since the start of the 2019-20 season, he has posted an 82-game average of 27 goals while playing with the Ottawa Senators, Florida Panthers, San Jose Sharks, and Tampa Bay Lightning. That included a 31-goal campaign with Florida in 2021-22.
He was limited to just 20 games in 2022-23 after suffering an Achilles injury but bounced back to score 24 goals with the Sharks and Lightning this season.
With New York, Duclair provides a dynamic, goal-scoring left-winger to pair on the first line with Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal, one of the most glaring holes on the Islanders’ roster in 2023-24. Experiments with Anders Lee, Simon Holmstrom, and even fourth-line center Casey Cizikas failed to provide the punch needed for a top line.
