Trying to play in the NHL with a torn groin is next to impossible. Just ask former New York Rangers forward Anthony Duclair . He tried to do just that in what turned out to be a disastrous first season with the New York Islanders in 2024-25.
Duclair signed a four-year, $14 million contract with the Rangers archrival last summer, only to tear his groin against the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 19, the fifth game of the season. The original timeline for his return was 4-6 weeks, but the reality was a lot worse. Duclair didn't return until Dec. 21.
In retrospect, even that might have been too quick.
"Obviously, we know the injury. I tore my groin right off the bone, fifth game of the year," Duclair said Monday at the Islanders annual golf outing. "I just felt like I came back too early, came back skating too early, skated with the team too early, and just ended up playing too early, and that hindered me rest of the season, basically playing on one leg.
"As a player, you don't want to be on the sidelines, you want to be playing out there, battling with the boys and that's what I try to do. But obviously it wasn't good for anyone for me to be out there."
Duclair began his NHL career by playing 18 games for the Rangers in 2014-15, two years after they selected him in the third round (No. 80 overall) in the 2013 draft, before being sent to the Arizona Coyotes in the trade that brought defenseman Keith Yandle to Broadway on March 1, 2015. He's played for nine NHL teams and was coming off a 24-goal showing in 2023-24 that persuaded the goal-hungry Islanders to sign him to a deal worth $3.5 million annually.
Instead, he ended up with 11 points (seven goals, four assists) in 44 mostly injury-plagued games. In 607 NHL games with the Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning , San Jose Sharks , Florida Panthers , Ottawa Senators , Columbus Blue Jackets , Chicago Blackhawks , Coyotes and Rangers, he has 153 goals and 314 points.
The first of those goals came during his brief tenure with the Rangers.
Duclair's first season on Long Island officially ended after the Islanders' 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 1. Following the game, Duclair requested a leave of absence from the team – a move that came on the heels of harsh public post-game criticism from coach Patrick Roy.
"He was God-awful. He was God-awful. He had a bad game. That's why I didn't play him a lot," Roy said that night. "And he's lucky to be in the lineup. Sorry if I lose it on him right now, but that's how I feel."
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Roy, who coached Duclair in junior hockey with the Quebec Remparts, visited Duclair in Montreal over the summer for a face-to-face talk to clear the air. Duclair said he appreciated the visit.
"He apologized for his comments," the 30-year-old explained. "I told him I didn't need an apology. I just needed him to know that I was playing hurt. He told me that he didn't really know the extent of the injury. It was just a miscommunication by everybody, myself included. I'm feeling better out there [now] and you know, should be ready to go."
Roy said at the end of development camp that he wanted to apologize to Duclair, but not over the phone, and they would find time to meet and talk things over ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Tom Szczerbowski-Imagn Images
"I talked to Patty — Patty reached out over the summer," Duclair said. "He drove down to Montreal, which I really appreciated. … He just obviously thought I was playing 100 percent, which I wasn't."
Duclair said his injury, which did not require surgery, affected his summer training, but that he's close to feeling 100 percent. The Islanders play their first preseason game Sunday against the Philadelphia Flyers at UBS Arena. They host the Rangers on Sept. 25 and visit Madison Square Garden four nights later.
"A lot of rehab, a lot of recovery and stuff like that," said Duclair, who's expected to play on a line with Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Simon Holmstrom . "I'm getting to a point where I'm almost feeling like I'm back to 100 percent so I am feeling better, but there's still more work to do going through a training camp."
Duclair said he's looking at this season as a fresh start and hopes to help the Islanders return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after they and the Rangers each came up short last season.
"[I'm putting] last year behind me," he said. "I'm always excited for a new year. It's a lot of fresh faces, fresh start for everybody, and so for myself, I'm looking forward for a big year. I'm coming in confident, and hopefully that can put everything behind us and hopefully make the playoffs."
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