ANAHEIM, Calif. — The next time the Rangers see Anthony Duclair, it either will be for the Stanley Cup final or at the start of training camp, whichever comes first.
For, as expected, the Blueshirts on Tuesday assigned the 19-year-old winger to the QMJHL Quebec Remparts for the remainder of the season. As the Remparts are the host team for the Memorial Cup, Duclair is not eligible for a recall to New York until the end of May.
“We had a long discussion about it with the staff,” coach Alain Vigneault said following practice, as the Blueshirts prepped for Wednesday’s match against the Ducks. “Right now, the team is healthy and playing well, J.T. [Miller]’s play has picked up, and it would be tough for Anthony to crack our lineup.”
The Duke, who recorded four goals and four assists for Team Canada in the World Junior Tournament that concluded with his team’s gold-medal game 5-4 victory over Russia on Monday, opened the season with the Rangers, getting one goal and six assists in 18 games.
But the teenager, who earned a spot with the Blueshirts off an outstanding camp while used in a top-six role, had been a healthy scratch for four of the 10 matches immediately preceding his loan to Team Canada., for whom he played on the top line with Sam Reinhart and Max Domi.
“According to the people I spoke to who saw the tournament, [Duclair] was one of the very good players there,” Vigneault said. “It’s a real good tournament. It should give him a lot of confidence.
“You could look at it from both sides, but we felt it was best for him to continue to play. He’s going to a good organization that’s going to the Memorial Cup [as the host team], so he’ll be playing under a lot of scrutiny, which will be real good for his development.”
Henrik Lundqvist will be in nets against the Ducks while Cam Talbot is scheduled to get the assignment against the Kings the following night. … John Moore will replace Matt Hunwick Wednesday while Tanner Glass is set to be the healthy scratch for the third straight match.