‘South Florida’s always going to have a special place in my heart’: Anthony Duclair returns to Sunrise to face Panthers

SUNRISE — Less than a month after playing in the Stanley Cup Final, Panthers fan favorite Anthony Duclair was on his way out of South Florida.  

After three seasons in Florida, the now 28-year-old’s time in Sunrise came to an abrupt end — on July 1, he was traded to San Jose.

“Obviously there were rumors before [the trade happened],” Duclair said on Monday when addressing Florida media for the first time since the trade. “Sometimes it’s inevitable… obviously being traded isn’t the best feeling because I’ve built so many relationships down here.”

Going from a team just weeks removed from a Stanley Cup Final appearance to the team who finished fourth from last in the standings isn’t an ideal situation, but Duclair expressed his contendness on the new challenge that awaited him in San Jose.   

“It’s tough to leave but at the same time I think I went to a great opportunity,” Duclair said. “Mike [Grier] called me right away and explained to me how big the opportunity is for me here. A chance to continue to grow as a player and step into kind of a leadership role here.”

When Duclair gets onto the ice later tonight in Sunrise, there’s sure to be a loud array of cheers raining down from the stands of Amerant Bank Arena.

He was loved by a lot of people in South Florida — whether that was from his teammates, staff, fans or members of the local community.

“Oh man, big smile, we loved having him around,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said when asked about Duclair off the ice. “What a wonderful joy for the game, and laughter, that part we certainly miss.”

Over the course of three seasons with the Panthers, Duclair played in 137 regular season games, picking up 99 points (43,56,99)  — including a career-high 31 goal season in 2021-2022. Duclair appeared in 34 Stanley Cup Playoff Games with the Panthers over that span, 20 of which came last season.

The Sharks forward is sure to receive a good reception in his return to Sunrise tonight. In his time with the Panthers, the arena was always filled with ‘Duclair’ jerseys — and the crowd even created a chant for him — 19,000+ shouting “Duuuke” in unison as he flew down the wing.     

His return will be a bittersweet. He’ll skate in front of the Florida faithful once again, only this time he’ll be in teal and white, not red and blue. 

“It’s going to be special for sure,” Duclair said. “I just want to approach this game like any other, but it’s going to be pretty cool, especially with the run we had last year… those kinds of runs you build relationships for a lifetime.”

While reminiscing on his time with the Panthers, Duclair said the biggest standout for him was the teammates he had in Florida.

“I got to play with some unbelievable players. I mean guys like Barkov, who’s arguably on of the best defensive forwards in the game, just the opportunity to learn from him,” Duclair said. “Huberdeau, Bennett, Tkachuk, guys who make an impact game in and game out. You learn from guys like that.”

As for reuniting with those teammates, Duclair was more than happy he’d be able to do that. 

“I know it’s going to be cool to see those guys again.”

As a franchise, Florida really flipped the script three years ago beginning in the 2020-2021 season. From getting into the postseason, to winning the President’s Trophy, and then making it to the Stanley Cup Finals over the course of three years — Anthony Duclair was there for all of it. 

“South Florida’s always going to have a special place in my heart. I had a great three years here and I’m just looking forward to tomorrow (Tuesday night).”