Duclair and Sens fail to reach new deal

In a somewhat surprising development, Anthony Duclair will hit the free agency market on Friday after failing to reach a new deal with the Ottawa Senators as a restricted free agent.

According to Sens general manager Pierre Dorion, the Sens did not extend Duclair a qualifying offer. He told reporters that Duclair acted as his own agent and that they offered him a “substantial raise” but no new deal could be reached.

Duclair, 25, had one of his best seasons in the NHL last year, recording 23 goals and 40 points. His best season points-wise was in Arizona in 2015-16 when he hit the 20 goals marks and netted 44 points. Duclair was traded to Ottawa in February of 2019. Only a few days before the trade, Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella publicly criticized Duclair, saying that he "doesn't know how to play".

Duclair is coming off of a one-year deal that paid him $1.65 million. Whether he can find a better contract on the open market remains to be seen. Many teams are operating under an internal cap after months of lost revenue due to the suspension of play back in March.

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