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Duclair healthy scratched by Quebec junior team

Team Canada practice

Team Canada practice

Rick Madonik

Bit of an eyebrow-raiser from the QMJHL -- Anthony Duclair, the highly-touted prospect that went from New York to Arizona as part of the Keith Yandle trade, will be a healthy scratch tonight when his Quebec Remparts take on Shawinigan.

According to this Journal De Montreal piece, Duclair, who has 27 points in 22 games since being sent back to Quebec in early January, is mired in head coach Philippe Boucher’s doghouse for a perceived lack of effort. It’s possible the 19-year-old is dealing with a bit of fatigue -- after making the Rangers out of training camp and appearing in 18 NHL games, he’s since won gold with Team Canada at the ’15 World Juniors and played big minutes with the Remparts -- but whatever the case, Quebec isn’t having it, possibly because it doesn’t want complacency setting in, given it’s hosting this year’s Memorial Cup.

It’s also possible Duclair could be distracted. The Yandle deal was one of the biggest blockbusters of this year’s trade deadline, and Duclair could be guilty of looking to the future. In Arizona, he figures to play a prominent role in the organization’s rebuild and will eventually be reunited with Team Canada linemate Max Domi, who the Coyotes took in the first round of the ’13 NHL Entry Draft.

“Having the opportunity to maybe play with [Domi] in the future, that’s great and I look forward to it,” Duclair said, per the Arizona Republic. “I’m actually really excited about the opportunity.”