Anthony Duclair
Anthony Duclair came to Columbus looking for a career reset. Through 21 games, it appears he has found just that.
After bouncing around the NHL, Duclair has shown in union blue that potential and promise he showed three seasons ago when he put up 44 points with the Arizona Coyotes. Through the first quarter of the season Duclair is tied for fifth in points with 12 and his eight goals are third on the team.
One of those eight goals was a beauty of a goal that might be the goal of the year so far for the entire NHL.
Although the last two games haven’t yielded any points, Duclair’s season has already been worth the league minimum the Jackets signed him for this offseason.
Coach Tortorella has had some words about his defensive play, along with almost every other Jacket, but his all around play has been more than what any of us expected. He does need to play better defensively, but for now, there is not much to drag Duclair’s grade down.
Duclair is now playing alongside Alexander Wennberg and Brandon Dubinsky but I expect Oliver Bjorkstrand to come back soon and join the third line. That’s a pretty potent line that can provide a nice scoring pop. It all comes down to their willingness to check because whether you like it or not, that’s what Torts wants to see.