Good Morning, Islanders Country.
They say when you expect the worst, you won’t be disappointed. I’m here to tell you that’s not necessarily true. Watching Anthony Duclair’s non-contact injury on Saturday night, you knew it wasn’t good. Watching him unable to put pressure on his leg and needing help coming off the ice, you knew it was bad.
Injuries to top-line forwards will always be a big blow, but Duclair’s absence is made worse because his presence is supposed to differentiate last year’s team from this year’s version. It’s disappointing.
“It would be more long term than short term at this point, certainly not season-ending or anything, but the time frame, we just have to get more results from X rays and MRIs.” - Lou Lamoriello
Duclair scored twice and had an assist in five games, showing that the excellent chemistry seen with Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat at the start of training camp could carry over into the regular season. “It’s part of hockey,” GM Lou Lamoriello said on Monday. “This gives someone else to come in and do what they do best. We have the depth to do certain things, but there’s no sort of frustration or anything; it’s a part of the game.”
Without a clear and dominant top line for the foreseeable future, the Isles will revert to a lineup that resembles what they rolled out last season. Some of the same solutions are already being considered to man the coveted wing spot alongside Barzal and Horvat. They were underwhelming then, and they are underwhelming now. Injuries are bound to happen to every team, but to happen so early and to this player is a deflating set of circumstances to overcome. It’s not season-ending for Duclair, but it could be season-altering for the Isles.
