NY Islanders GM Mathieu Darche speaks on the status of Anthony Duclair

Anthony Duclair’s first season with the New York Islanders? Let’s just say… not what the team or the player signed up for, and it ended with his future with the team being an open question.

When Lou Lamoriello handed him a 4-year, $14 million deal last July, Isles fans were cautiously optimistic. Duclair had wheels, he had scoring upside, and he’d played for Patrick Roy back in juniorz. It felt like a smart pickup to improve the top six scoring. But from the jump, it was rough. A severe groin injury kept him sidelined for the first quarter of the season, and when he came back, he just wasn’t right. No burst, no finish, and definitely no chemistry with his linemates.

Near the end of the season, things got ugly. Roy publicly called out his play, calling it “god-awful,” and said he was lucky to even be in the lineup. The next day, Duclair took a personal leave from the team. The details remained private, as Duclair did not speak to the media about what transpired between him and Roy on clean-out day. It capped a disastrous year.

So now what? Duclair’s only one year into a four-year deal, and his cap hit isn’t going anywhere. However, even though Roy was retained as head coach, the presence of new GM Mathieu Darche offers Duclair a chance at a clean slate heading into next season. Darche was asked about Duclair at the NHL Scouting Combine and provided an optimistic view about Duclair's future with the team.

“Everything is well, every team, every now and then, has little issues like that,” Darche told Newsday . “I have a little bit of a relationship with him. I did talk to him. He was in a good mood. We’re going to sit down, like I do with every other player.”

He added that Duclair was in a "good mood" when they spoke and expects him to be ready to go at training camp in September. Maybe then, we'll get his side of the story and a better sense of his health and the status of his relationship with the head coach who questioned his effort.