Florida Panthers forward Anthony Duclair wore a regular jersey to his team’s practice Monday, but head coach Paul Maurice will be patient with the Quebecer.
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In a press conference after the morning practice session, the pilot indicated that the 27-year-old player had made great progress but did not expect to see him back in uniform at the end of the trip. The Panthers faced the Minnesota Wild in the evening before facing the St. Louis Blues (Tuesday), Washington Capitals (Thursday) and Nashville Predators (Saturday).
“It’s a mental move more than anything,” said Maurice, whose words were translated by the National League’s French-language website. He has been campaigning for this for a long time. It’s a wound that takes a long time to heal. […] It’s great for him to be able to jump on the ice.”
The Florida club’s next home game is the following Monday against the Anaheim Ducks. This will be the 60th game of the Panther campaign.
Duclair has yet to play this season as he recovers from a serious Achilles tendon injury that required surgery.
The Pointe-Claire native had a career-high 58 points, including 31 goals, in 74 games in 2021-2022.