It has been a bit of a rough road for Anthony Duclair in the New York Islanders organization. He reunited with former junior head coach Patrick Roy, and many felt it'd be a great fit, but Tuesday night marked his first game since December 30 after a bunch of healthy scratches. However, Duclair made sure to leave his mark when he did return, recording a natural hat trick in the game's first 24 minutes.

One of the Islanders' most pressing issues over the last few seasons has been their depth scoring. Duclair was expected to be a significant help with that problem, but he hasn't been able to put it together in New York. Through two seasons with the Islanders, Duclair has just 24 points in 83 games.

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It has been tough to understand after the speedy forward's breakout performance with the Tampa Bay Lightning at the end of the 2023-24 season. Despite the team bowing out early in the playoffs, trade deadline acquisition Duclair had 15 points over the team's final 17 regular season games. It earned him an opportunity to prove it wasn't a fluke with the Islanders after signing a deal that summer.

Duclair still has plenty of time to turn it around with two years remaining after this one on his deal. The Islanders are in the heat of the playoff race in the Metropolitan Division, and a motivated Duclair could be the key piece that keeps them in the hunt. However, the notoriously hard-nosed Roy might need to see even more from Anthony Duclair before he commits to making him a full-time member of the lineup.