<p>A player in Long Island is going to be taking some time away from his team.</p>



<p>On Thursday, Stefen Rosner of <em>The Hockey News</em> reported that <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/new-york-islanders/line-combinations">New York Islanders</a> forward Anthony Duclair has been granted a leave of absence, taking “time off to reflect.”</p>



<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Patrick Roy says that he and Anthony Duclair had a long conversation this morning, a positive one. <br><br>Duclair told Roy that he needed some time off to reflect and Roy agreed to that. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Isles?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Isles</a>  will give him all the time he needs.</p>— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) <a href="https://twitter.com/stefen_rosner/status/1907818870116675803?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>



<p>The announcement comes just a couple of days after Islanders’ head coach <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/new-york-islanders-patrick-roy-rips-anthony-duclair-after-loss-god-awful">Patrick Roy tore into Duclair</a> following his performance in the team’s 4-1 loss to the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/tampa-bay-lightning/line-combinations">Tampa Bay Lightning</a> on Tuesday night.</p>



<p>“He was God awful. He had a bad game, and that’s why I didn’t play him a lot and he’s lucky to be in the lineup. Sorry if I lose it on him, but that’s how I feel,”&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/milesbolt/status/1907259323291500608" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Roy said</a>&nbsp;post-game. “He’s not skating, he’s not competing, he’s not moving his feet. He’s not playing up to what we expect from him.”</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="180"></div>



<p>Rosner reported that Roy and Duclair had a long and positive conversation on Thursday morning. Roy agreed to Duclair’s request to take some time off.</p>



<p>Roy and Duclair have a relationship that dates back to Duclair’s junior days, when he played under the Hall of Fame goaltender for two seasons with the Quebec Remparts.</p>



<p>In 43 games this season with the Isles, Duclair has just seven goals and 11 points, registering a plus/minus of -15 while averaging 15:06 of ice time per night. </p>



<p>The Pointe-Claire, Quebec native joined the Islanders this past offseason, signing a four-year contract with the team, with a cap hit of $3.5 million that carries through the 2027-28 campaign. The first two years of the deal have a full no-trade clause, with the final two seasons seeing Duclair have a modified no-trade clause.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="138"></div>



<p>The Islanders (32-32-10) sit sixth in the Metropolitan Division, five points back of the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.</p>
