Islanders make Anthony Duclair a healthy scratch as their patience wears thin
The Islanders signed Anthony Duclair last summer as the missing piece to their top line, envisioning his speed completing a dynamic trio with Mat Barzal and Bo Horvat.To say that has gone upside down would be understating things by an order of magnitude.On Monday, with Barzal already out for the long term after surgery last month believed to be on his left kneecap, Duclair — who missed time earlier this year with a suspected groin injury — was made a healthy scratch at Madison Square Garden against the Rangers as the Islanders were blown out to the tune of 4-0.That came after a third-period benching in Saturday’s win over the Predators, after which coach Patrick Roy, who had Duclair in junior hockey and was instrumental in getting him to sign with the Islanders, said he expected more from him.The Islanders have been patient with Duclair since his return from injury, understanding that he pushed himself to get back and is not 100 percent.But their patience is appearing to run out.“I think it’s a mix of both [injury and other factors],” Roy said when asked whether Duclair’s recent struggles can still be traced back to getting hurt.
“The fact he missed a lot of games, conditioning and all this, I think it’s good for him to practice and skate.We’re gonna need him down the road.
We need everybody.“I think I told you guys, we were not 100 percent happy with him.Now he needs to practice hard and be ready when he plays.”Whether this is a one-game scratch to try to jolt Duclair or something more prolonged isn’t clear.
But the Islanders, who went with 11 forwards and seven defensemen against the Rangers, with Pierre Engvall also scratched and Scott Mayfield returning to the lineup, have no shortage of lineup options right now.Thanks to the injury-induced shopping spree of defensemen in late January, combined with the blue line getting (mostly) healthy, 11 and seven is a viable option for the Isles.And as long as Engvall — who had a decent stint...