The Florida Panthers have signed left wing Anthony Duclair to a one-year contract worth $1.7 million.

The well-travelled Duclair will be joining his sixth NHL team, having already played for the NY Rangers, Arizona, Chicago, Columbus, and Ottawa. His 23 goals with the Senators in 2019-20 was a career high, so he has proven recently he can contribute in the right environment. His scoring has never been consistent enough for a team to consider investing in him long term, though.

On a short-term deal with a reasonable cap hit, the Duclair signing is a very low-risk move for the Panthers. Duclair could fill the spot left by Mike Hoffman, who should be considered the top remaining free agent still left on the market. It remains to be seen whether he would be used on the Panthers first-unit or second-unit power play, but it's worth mentioning that he was often used on the first unit on a rebuilding Senators team. Regardless, the run-and-gun Panthers seem like a good fit for him, especially since both Hoffman and Evgenii Dadonov have departed. With sustained production, there could easily be a spot for him on the top 6.

The signing slightly decreases the chances of Grigori Denisenko earning a spot on the Panthers and possibly making an impact in his rookie season. Having said that, Duclair has hardly had a firm grip on a top-6 roster spot throughout his career, as he has averaged only 15 minutes per game in only one season of his career (2019-20). Because of his lack of defensive prowess, Duclair could easily find himself in the bottom 6 or even the press box if the production dries up. So I wouldn't count out the Russian prospect just yet. A more proven goal scorer like Hoffman would be a greater obstacle for Denisenko’s path to the NHL.

Players this helps:

Duclair

Players this hurts:

Denisenko

Frank Vatrano

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Fantasy owners are discussing this move on the Forum – give your take here!