Fans Should Table Expectations in Duclair’s Return to Panthers

The Florida Panthers and their fan base received some good news regarding Anthony Duclair following the team’s morning skate. 

Duclair Poised to Return to Panthers Lineup vs Sabres

Duclair, who’s been sidelined all season after undergoing successful surgery to repair an Achilles tendon injury back in July, has seemingly been given the green light from head coach Paul Maurice.

“He looks like he’s ready to go,” Maurice said after today’s practice.

“Our expectation is that he’ll be ready to play.”

The timing of Duclair’s return couldn’t be better. Friday’s game presents an important matchup against the Buffalo Sabres, with whom the Panthers have a four-point lead in the standings.

Now, the roster move hasn’t been made just yet. Maurice stated that they won’t take Duclair off the LTIR until after the morning skate of Friday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres. 

The Panthers are currently dealing with a few minor injuries. They’ll need to wait till Friday to see what roster moves they can make to ensure cap compliance and that they have enough bodies to play before activating Duclair.

As for Duclair, he was seen skating on the team’s third line during practice, playing the left wing alongside Eetu Luostarinen and Colin White. 

Excitement is High but Important to be Cautious

Fans are anxious to get their speedy winger back in the lineup. The former third-round pick scored a career-high 31 goals last season, and his scoring touch will provide a welcome boost as the team pushes for a playoff spot.

But fans need to table expectations. An Achilles injury is no joke and in a game like hockey, the stress on the injured area will be immense. 

Look no further than the Carolina Hurricanes Max Pacioretty. Pacioretty underwent surgery for a torn Achilles last August and was out of the ‘Canes lineup for six months. 

Then on January 19th, a little more than two weeks after returning from injury, Pacioretty tore his Achilles again. 

In a seemingly harmless play, the Canes forward made a quick cut near the side of his net and immediately went down to the ice. Trainers rushed out to him and he was brought off the ice, unable to put any weight on his right leg. It was later confirmed he had just torn the same Achilles he had worked so hard to come back from. 

Maurice and the Panthers have been extremely patient and have waited a long time to get Duclair back. So they will not do anything that could risk re-injuring his Achilles.

There’s outside noise already of getting Duclair on the top line immediately. But giving him top-line minutes right out of the gate will not be happening.

The Panthers will certainly be managing his minutes and re-evaluating his status on a game-by-game basis.

Considering where the Panthers stand in the wild card race, there’s the obvious temptation to get him into the top six right away, but you have to think long-term. The Cats are still well-positioned in the standings and shouldn’t be in panic mode. 

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Expectations Shouldn’t Be High Right Away

If they want Duclair to be an effective member of the team for the long term, then he will need to be eased in. 

It is also important to remember that, as good a player as ‘Duke’ is, he’s going to need time to find his game.

We are in the playoff-push part of the season so the game intensity is high and a player can’t just dive into that sort of situation. It could take weeks before we see the Duclair of old. Even without coming back from an Achilles injury, it takes time to find your rhythm and timing. Especially this late into the season when everyone else has been going for months.

The 27-year-old winger will certainly be a critical component in the Panthers’ playoff push. So the excitement surrounding this moment is warranted.

It’s been a long road to get to where we are today and to see number 10 back on the ice, without the yellow “no contact” jersey, brings a really good feeling to the organization and its fans.

Let’s just remember to be patient and give Duclair time to find his rhythm with the Panthers.