Best Anthony Duclair trade destinations if Sharks move on ahead of deadline

The San Jose Sharks are tied for the least points in the NHL with 30 alongside the Chicago Blackhawks, meaning they will likely be sellers at the NHL Trade Deadline on March 8, and Anthony Duclair is a kind of player that the Sharks could get great value on from.

This season is going about as expected for the Sharks, as they were projected to be one of, if not the worst team in the league. They acquired Anthony Duclair from the Florida Panthers this offseason for Steven Lorentz and a 2025 fifth-round pick. When the deal went down, it was expected that the Sharks would flip Duclair at the deadline. They did not give up much, as the Panthers were a team in a cap crunch that needed to offload salary.

As Duclair is on an expiring contract this season, it makes all of the sense in the world for the Sharks to cash in on the value he would bring to a contending team this season ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline.

There are a number of teams that could use a top six scorer like Duclair, and there are two specifically that stick out. Let’s get into the two top trade destinations for Anthony Duclair if the Sharks move on from him ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline

New York Rangers

The New York Rangers selected Duclair in the third round of the 2013 NHL Draft, and he was eventually shipped off to the Arizona Coyotes in the trade that brought defenseman Keith Yandle to the Blueshirts to try to help them make a run at the Stanley Cup in 2015. It made sense at the time. The Rangers were one of the best teams in the league, and Yandle was a piece that was supposed to help them get over the top.

Now, it would make sense for the Rangers to bring Duclair back into the organization, as he fits the timeline this time. Despite struggles over the last month or so, the Rangers are still contenders with a core of Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox, Mika Zibanejad and others. However, they could use some top six scoring. They just lost center Filip Chytil for the season. While Duclair is not a center, he would slot in on the top line alongside Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. Veteran Blake Wheeler currently holds that spot, and that could be improved on.

The Rangers will likely look into center first, but Chytil likely going on LTIR opens up some money, and Duclair would fit the lineup.

Colorado Avalanche