Ex-Rangers Forward Details Gruesome Injury That Plagued His 2024-25 Season With The Islanders
Photo credit: Kirby Lee-imagn images
Former New York Rangers forward Anthony Duclair was out for nearly half of the 2024-25 season. He'd only suit up for 44 games with the archrival club, the Islanders, after suffering a gruesome injury that saw him tear his groin right off the bone.
Trying to play professional hockey in the NHL with a groin tear is painful and impossible. Just ask ex-Rangers forward Anthony Duclair who lost a significant amount of the NHL season to the injury.
The Islanders forward signed a 4-year, $14 million deal in Long Island, only suffer the tearon October 19th against the Montreal Canadiens.
He was originally scheduled to return to the ice 4-6 weeks afterwards, but would be out until Dec. 21st.
Duclair thinks it might have been too soon to return:
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.»
«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.»
Anthony Duclair's NHL Origins In New York
Anthony Duclair began his career in the NHL with the New York Rangers during the 20214-15 season.
The irony of his beginnings in the NHL started with being drafted by the Rangers 80th overall in the 2013 Draft, and he would be traded for Keith Yandle.
Since his troubled start to his career, he's played for nine NHL teams, and he has worked to establish himself in the NHL.
We could say he officially "arrived" in Ottawa, then Florida as part of the Joel Quenneville, Andrew Brunette, and Paul Maurice (2022-23) teams, which were good enough for the postseason, but not a Stanley Cup.
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.
After such a bone-chilling injury, Duclair hopes to regain his form again, and he'll be joining his former junior coach (in the QMJHL, the Quebec Remparts), Patrick Roy, back on Long Island as he begins a new campaign in 2025-26.
Duclair has played a total of 607 NHL games and scored 153 goals and 314 points.
Previously on NY Rangers Insider
TRENDING NOW
