When it was announced on Thursday that free agent Anthony Duclair had signed a new one-year deal with the Florida Panthers for $1.7 million, many people were left wondering why he turned down a much more lucrative offer from the Ottawa Senators. There had been several reports that Duclair had been offered a three-year contract by the Sens in the vicinity of $4.25 million per season. Duclair has now addressed that, saying the rumours are untrue.
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"Anthony said in French on this call he was offered a one-year deal by the Sens and turned it down. Called the three-year, $4.25M rumours laughable," said Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.
"Duclair says he 'didn't see it coming', the Senators' decision not to make him a qualifying offer. Believes the Panthers were the best fit for him," said French-language reporter Marc Brassard.
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Senators GM Pierre Dorion has stated in the past that he and Duclair, who was a restricted free agent at the time, could not reach an agreement on a qualifying offer. Because of that, Duclair's status went to unrestricted, leaving him free to test the market.
Duclair could not have picked a worse time to test the market, with many teams trying to make up for lost revenue after the suspension of play back in March, while the salary cap remains flat this upcoming season at $81.5 million.
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