San Jose Sharks coach David Quinn said he expected to put Anthony Duclair back in the lineup for Saturday’s game with the Anaheim Ducks.
Duclair and defenseman Calen Addison were both healthy scratches in the Sharks’ 2-1 shootout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday, as San Jose finished the road trip with a 1-3-1 record.
Duclair, a pending unrestricted free agent, was also scratched for a Dec. 17 game against the Colorado Avalanche. That came after Duclair failed to hustle to get back onside in a Dec. 15 game against the Arizona Coyotes, nullifying what would have been a game-tying goal by Mikael Granlund.
Quinn said sitting Duclair, 28, against the Blackhawks wasn’t about any one play, but more about wanting a level of consistency from the veteran forward, who had just one goal and two assists in 10 games before Tuesday.
Quinn added that Duclair was receptive to the reasons for the scratching, adding that the Sharks’ league-worst 10-31-4 record has taken its toll on a lot of individuals.
“This isn’t easy for a lot of people and sometimes, as we’ve touched on, the losing can get to people,” Quinn said. “I know he wants to do the right thing and I fully expect him back in there and kind of get back to a level that he’s capable of playing.”
Duclair, in the final year of a three-year, $9 million contract he signed in July 2021 with the Florida Panthers, has 16 points in 40 games this season.
Duclair missed all but 20 regular season games in 2022-23 as he recovered from a torn Achilles, and in his last full season in 2021-2022, had 58 points in 74 games.
The Sharks will likely need to decide by the NHL trade deadline on March 8 whether to re-sign Duclair or deal him to a playoff-contending team.
“Duke’s a really good player in this league,” Quinn said. “It’s just a consistent effort to compete.”
With Addison, who also didn’t play in the Sharks’ 3-0 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Jan. 15, Quinn said the scratching was about development.
“He’s not a guy like Duke who’s established himself and has had a lot of success in this league,” Quinn said of Addison, a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights. “He’s trying to become an everyday player and prove he can be a consistent defenseman in this league.”
Addison was billed as being more of an offensive-minded defenseman when he was acquired from the Minnesota Wild on Nov. 8. But since he came back from a lower-body injury after Christmas, he has just one assist in his nine games and is averaging just over 17 minutes in ice time per game.
“He and I talked a lot the last few days about really what he’s going to need to do, and he’s going to be 24 in April,” Quinn said. “So he’s got to make some decisions in his game and how he’s got to play consistently.”