Hartnett: Outstanding Anthony Duclair Will Force Rangers To Make Tough Decision

By Sean Hartnett
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19-year-old winger Anthony Duclair created a real buzz inside the famous walls of Madison Square Garden during Monday night's 6-3 preseason exhibition victory over the rival Philadelphia Flyers.

Duclair followed up his impressive two-point debut in Chicago by putting in a dominant performance in his second career preseason game. He notched another two points in a standout showing against the Flyers.

The 5-foot-11 winger torched the slow-skating Flyers with his blazing speed for 60 minutes. Early in the first period, Duclair swiftly carried the puck from the neutral zone into the offensive zone and unleashed a quick wrist shot off the crossbar and past Philly goaltender Steve Mason. He would set up 21-year-old winger Ryan Haggerty minutes later to collect his second assist of the preseason.

Through two preseason games, Duclair has registered two goals and two assists for a team-leading four points.

"I'm just gaining confidence every day," Duclair said. "With the help of the veteran guys here, they're really helping the young guys, just making us comfortable. It makes the difference at the end of the day."

Everything about Duclair is impressive, including the way he handles himself on a day-by-day basis. Certain kids have the makeup to handle pressure at a young age, and Duclair is one of those kids who "gets it." Having spent much of training camp studying Duclair and chatting with him, he has the right mix of natural confidence and he carries a respectful nature toward both coaches and teammates.

Duclair's game certainly suits the north-south, uptempo system of Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault. Before Monday's game, Vigneault spoke at length about Duclair's abilities.

"He's just a young player that's come in here and tries to play to his strengths," Vigneault said. "The speed element is something that we like; skill with the puck is something that we like. We've got to see if he can do it on a regular basis and do it against big NHL competition. He has done really well so far."

The Rangers have also experimented with Duclair on the penalty kill. Both on the PK and in even-strength situations, Duclair showed defensive smarts and chased hard after the puck. There were multiple occasions where he won the puck off the stick through sharp awareness and pure effort against Flyers.

Duclair has clung closely to veterans Rick Nash and Derick Brassard throughout training camp. Nash and Brassard have taken Duclair aside during certain drills to instruct Duclair on on-ice positioning. Duclair appreciates the wisdom that the duo has passed along.

"They're two guys who've been helping me since the start of camp," Duclair said of Nash and Brassard earlier during camp. "Obviously, I've learned a lot so far."

Throughout training camp and the preseason, Duclair has repeated that his goal is to "stay here as long as possible."

Through two preseason games, the jet-like winger has shown the Rangers what he's all about. His rapid acceleration can cause all kinds of issues to opposing defensemen at the NHL level. He's been able to pair his quickness with outstanding instincts in all areas of the ice. Duclair seems to make high-percentage plays that Vigneault demands from each of his players. He seems to grasp things a lot quicker than your average 19-year-old.

Vigneault affectionately referred to Duclair as "Duke" during Monday night's postgame press conference. He also confirmed that Duclair will travel to Philadelphia and will play in the second of back-to-back games against the Flyers on Tuesday night.

"A couple guys are getting back-to-back, not very many," Vigneault said. "All kids. The guys that are playing back-to-back would be Hayes, Haggerty, the 'Duke.'"

Vigneault also confirmed that the Blueshirts will trim their roster to 30 players on Wednesday. The Rangers reassigned 20 players last Wednesday and their preseason roster currently stands at 43 players.

So far, Duclair has made the cut and is giving the Rangers every reason to consider keeping him around for their October 9 regular season opener in St. Louis.

Unfortunately for Duclair, the Rangers are already at the maximum of 50 players under contract, and he is not included in that total. The Rangers would need to trade or cut a player currently under contract to fit Duclair under the 50-man limit.

Should Duclair start the season with the Rangers, the team will have nine games to decide whether to keep him in the NHL for the remainder of the season or send him to the juniors. Duclair is ineligible to play in the AHL due to his age. He scored 50 goals and recorded 49 assists in 59 games for the Quebec Remparts last season.

The biggest concern is whether his wiry body can handle the punishment of an 82-game regular season against larger NHL pros. Duclair is listed at 185 pounds on the Rangers' official website. His history of injuries saw him slip into the third round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

22-year-old Swedish winger Jesper Fast is one of Duclair's competitors for a final roster spot. Fast scored two goals on Monday night to take his preseason total to three. The Swede appears to have an edge over Duclair given his greater experience. Vigneault was impressed enough by Fast to dress him for three games last playoffs.

Duclair has an abundance of speed and natural ability. He has smarts in all areas of the ice and the mental makeup needed to play in the NHL right now. The question is whether the Rangers believe he's better suited for another year of development in the juniors.

Follow Sean on Twitter @HartnettHockey.

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