Coyotes ‘working with’ Anthony Duclair, who returns to lineup

The Arizona Coyotes’ season hasn’t gotten off to the start the way the team would have liked. That’s undoubtedly true for everyone in the locker room.

But for Anthony Duclair, it may sting even more that in the midst of 12 losses in 13 games, the fourth-year winger has been scratched the last two games.

“It’s just the process with [head coach Rick Tocchet], a new coach, a new system,” general manager John Chayka said when asked what the team wanted to see from Duclair. “I think as a team we’ve struggled to put together 60 full minutes of consistent hockey and that intensity and focus that comes with it. I think Tocc’s just working with Duke.”

Duclair will return to the Coyotes lineup on Thursday night against the Buffalo Sabres, according to 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station’s Craig Morgan.

Anthony Duclair will return to the Coyotes lineup tonight.

— Craig Morgan (@craigsmorgan) November 2, 2017

“Like our whole team, that whole 60 minutes of complete play is something that a lot of our players can get better and Duclair himself,” Chayka added.

After a loss to the Bruins earlier this season, Tocchet suggested his team may be out of shape, saying “some guys are sucking wind” when they get back to the bench.

As it pertains to Duclair, this is an important season for the 22-year-old. The Coyotes traded a package that included Keith Yandle to the New York Rangers to get Duclair in 2015. The next season, the former third-round pick scored 20 goals in 81 games for Arizona.

The 2016-17 season didn’t go as well. He scored just five goals with 10 assists in 58 games and received a demotion to the AHL. Before that promotion, then-head coach Dave Tippett expressed displeasure with with Duclair’s effort.

“He’s got to compete harder,” Tippett said at the time. “He’s not competing at a level that’s going to let him be effective right now. We’re trying to push him and prod him and we sat him out. We’ll keep coaching away and see if we can get him up to speed but right now he’s not competing at the level we need from him.”

In 11 games this season, he has scored three goals with two assists.

“There’s some opportunities when you’re not playing every other day to put some work in on the different elements of your game,” Chayka said. “I think Duke understands that, is working with it. That’s not Tocc giving up on the player whatsoever, it’s him digging down and working with him, trying to make him better.”

MISSING SMITTY?

On Thursday, Duclair won’t be the only one returning to the lineup. Goaltender Antti Raanta, who has missed all but three games this year due to a lower-body injury, will come off IR and start in net against the Sabres.

In his interview Thursday with Doug & Wolf on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station, Chayka was asked whether the team regrets trading long-time starting netminder Mike Smith to the Calgary Flames this summer.

“I don’t know. We’ll see how the season plays out,” he said. “For the previous two seasons, we’ve lost Mike Smith to start the season as well. It’s not like it’s unique to Antti.

“It’s the nature of the beast — the goaltending position, it’s a very acrobatic position. These guys are in great shape and sometimes stuff happens where they have some strains or pulls and you’ve got to deal with it.”

Chayka continued by adding that his stance on the matter isn’t based on hindsight.

“Having said that, I’m not Monday-morning-quarterbacking anything,” he said. “We think Antti’s a good goaltender. He’s got to be healthy and he’s got to be in the net. When you have your No. 1 goaltender, it gives you a chance to stabilize things and to win.”

Follow @mattjlayman