Panthers winger Anthony Duclair traded to San Jose for center Steven Lorentz, draft pick

Saturday was not just a day of free agent signings for the Florida Panthers.

They made another big move at the opening of free agency, this time via a trade.

Anthony Duclair, a three-year winger with the Panthers, has been dealt to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for forward Steven Lorentz and a 2025 fifth-round pick. The move clears just under $2 million in cap space for the Panthers next season.

Lorentz, 27, played 80 games for the Sharks last season, recording 10 goals and nine assists. He was a 2015 seventh-round pick by the Carolina Hurricanes before being traded to San Jose last summer.

Rumors began circulating after the Panthers season ended that Duclair could be a trade piece given the team’s need at the blue line. But the Panthers quickly filled that need Saturday, signing four free agent defensemen.

Duclair, 27, has been on the move for a long part of his career, playing for five teams in his first six years in the NHL. He finally settled in with the Panthers as a free agent in 2020 and quickly won over the fanbase as a goal-scorer.

In 2021-22, Duclair scored a career-high 31 goals in 74 games, but then he tore his Achilles tendon last July. It kept him out until February of this past season. Duclair was able to play in 20 regular-season games and 20 playoff games, scoring six goals and adding 14 assists.

Just days ago, The Anthony Duclair Foundation held its first youth development camp targeted at getting minorities more involved in hockey.

Duclair was on the ice for four days training children in ages ranging from 8-14. Numerous kids asked for pictures with Duclair following Wednesday’s camp, and he gladly obliged.

“It’s tough when you get traded away,” Duclair said Wednesday . “You lose your friends and stuff like that, but at the end of day, you’re still in the NHL, you’re leaving your old childhood dream. At the same time, when you get to the new team, it’s more excitement more than anything.”