Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois completed a trade with a Western Conference team as the Lightning were on the ice battling a Western Conference team. Just as the third period was getting underway in their game against the Calgary Flames, the team announced that they had acquired forward Anthony Duclair and a 2025 seventh-round pick for Jack Thompson and a third-round pick in 2024.
In 56 games for the San Jose Sharks, Duclair has 16 goals and 11 assists. The 28-year-old was in his first season with the Sharks after he signed a one-year contract last summer. Prior to that he had spent three seasons with the Florida Panthers where he racked up 99 points (43 goals, 56 assists) in 137 games, including a 31-goal season in 2021-22. In his 10-year career he has 138 goals and 150 assists in 546 games with seven franchises.
Duclair carries a $3 million cap hit this season and is an unrestricted free agent this summer. Following his acquisition, the Bolts have about $2,927,083 left in cap space this season. There is room to make at least one more depth move prior to the deadline at 3:00 pm on Friday.
Going the other way was the Lightning’s 2024 third-round pick, which currently leaves them with no picks until the fifth round this summer. The big piece for San Jose will be Jack Thompson, a 21-year-old defenseman that made his NHL debut earlier this year. In our most recent Top 25 Under 25 rankings, Thompson came in 8th with Hardev writing,
“Thompson’s best skill is his shot, which is very good. It, along with his skating and lateral footwork, allows Thompson to be a very useful player on the power play, and in the NHL could lead to second unit time. Over the years, Thompson has built on his one skill to have a very effective defensive game. His mobility and positional awareness allow him to play against rushes and in the defensive zone without much fuss.”
If he had stayed with the franchise, chances are he would have moved up a bit as he’s had a strong season in Syracuse, posting 5 goals and 27 assists in 46 games. He is nursing an undisclosed injury currently and hasn’t seen action since February 23rd.
The official press release:
TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired forward Anthony Duclair and a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for defenseman Jack Thompson and Tampa Bay’s third-round selection in the 2024 NHL Draft, vice president and general manager Julien BriseBois announced today.
Duclair, 28, has played in 56 games for San Jose this season, posting 16 goals, including five on the power play, and 27 points. The left winger has scored 15-plus goals in a season for the fifth time in his career and fourth time in the past six seasons. Duclair is averaging 16:10 time on ice for the Sharks, the second highest of his career and most since he recorded 16:15 with Ottawa in the 2019-20 season.
Duclair is in his 10th season in the NHL having played for the New York Rangers, Arizona, Chicago, Columbus, Ottawa and Florida before being traded to San Jose on July 1, 2023. He has 546 games of NHL experience and has tallied 138 goals, 150 assists, 288 points and a plus-35 rating. He’s also been a part of three playoff runs, all coming with Florida, including helping the Panthers to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final with four goals and 11 points in 20 contests that postseason. Overall, Duclair has tallied five goals and 14 points in 34 career playoff games.
Duclair is a native of Pointe-Claire, Quebec and was a former third-round draft selection (80th overall) of the Rangers in the 2013 NHL Draft. He was selected for the 2020 NHL All-Star Game during his 23-goal, 40-point season in Ottawa in 2019-20.
