Colby Guy
SUNRISE — Many around the Florida Panthers have called the return of Anthony Duclair from an offseason Achilles tear as big a trade deadline acquisition as they could have hoped for.
Sure, it is a cliche.
It also turns out to be true.
Duclair’s combination of speed and scoring ability is something a lot of teams were unable to match in acquisitions made off of the open market ahead of Friday’s trade deadline.
Sure, there were some of the blockbuster names like Timo Meier and Patrick Kane — but Duclair’s 31 goals from last season speaks for itself.
“He brings another element to us that is so important and that is when he is in the lineup, it really changes the look of our team,” Matthew Tkachuk said.
“He can fly out there — he is a way better skater than I am — so I enjoy watching him fly around out there.”
The speed he possesses has been evident above all else since he returned to the lineup last Friday and it is a welcome sign to see for all involved.
He underwent a strenuous seven-month recovery process and pushed himself as hard as he could until he felt he was ready to go.
“I’m very happy with the way things have gone these past seven months,” Duclair said.
“It was a pretty long grind, but at the same time, I’m proud of the work I put in and all of the stuff that we went through and it’s showing now. I’m feeling more comfortable as we keep going here, so it’s a testament to my trainers and all the work they’ve put in as well.”
Many of Florida’s staff have had experience working with players who had Achilles injuries in the past.
General Manager Bill Zito actually sustained a similar injury in the past.
“It has been [three] games and I think he has been outstanding,” Zito said.
“His speed was noticeable with some men who can skate on the ice and he played hard. I was so pleased with his game and I am happy for him after everything he went through. I am an Achilles guy myself and when you come back, what he’s experiencing is he comes off and it feels like ‘oh, I did it again,’ and it’s not pain, it’s discomfort with the scar tissue. And for him to do that, that’s a big deal.”
On top of his injury recovery, Duclair has had to learn how to adapt himself to a new system but he made that very easy for himself while he was out of the lineup.
He attended every team meeting since training camp and watched the video reviews of every game he could not travel with the team for.
In doing so, he was able to take a step back and learn new head coach Paul Maurice’s system while becoming a more cerebral player in the process.
“It’s much different, but at the same time, I think I want to use all of that knowledge that I’ve gathered throughout the whole season and put it out there on the ice,” Duclair said.
“I think I’m definitely a smarter player now. I see the game better than I used to just from all of the time that I was away. Just being in every meeting since this training camp, seeing the ups and downs of the team and seeing how coach wants us to play night in and night out, I think it’s a bit easier for me to come in rather than not being there and starting from scratch.
“I feel like I have a good handle on our system and how we want to play and I just want to go out there and play.”
By his fourth game back in the lineup, he has Maurice’s plan down to the point where he knows it like the back of his hand.
“We have something that happens in our neutral zone defense and he called it today,” Maurice said after Florida’s 4-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.
“You could hear it from the other side of the ice and he picked the puck off. He paid attention and watched the video. Some of the defensive things are different than with any other team so he had to learn it.”’
The work he has put in throughout his recovery process — both in the weight room and on the ice — has made him a stronger player as well and pairing that with his intensive studies of the game, he has become a more well-rounded player.
“It looks different to me from my recollection of his game as an opposing coach and then from watching on video,” Maurice said.
“There are way more elements to his game now than just the speed. He looks stronger and bigger. He had six months to work out and did so helping him be powerful on the ice.
“Duclair is doing things like taking pucks to the net and driving out of corners that I don’t think were necessarily a part of his game.”
The team has noticed every bit of work Duclair has put into his recovery and it has become a point of inspiration for them to come out and compete just as hard.
“It has been really good to have him back just for the energy in the room, too,” Tkachuk said.
“Seeing somebody who went through that and seeing all the work he’s put in behind the scenes to get back, I think it wears on the rest of the team. Everybody sees what he did and there’s no reason why we can’t do that as well. He put everything he had in this year to play the last stretch of games and hopefully playoffs too so hopefully we can bring as much energy as he’s brought for us.”
PANTHERS ON DECK
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS AT FLORIDA PANTHERS
- When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
- Where: FLA Live Arena, Sunrise
- TV/Streaming: Bally Sports Florida; ESPN+
- Radio: WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
- Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932
- This season (Vegas leads 1-0): Golden Knights 4, Panthers 2 (Jan. 12)
- Last season: Split 1-1
- All-time regular season series: Vegas leads 6-2-1
- Up Next for the Panthers: Friday vs. Chicago. 7 p.m.