In cap-clearing move, Florida Panthers trade Anthony Duclair to San Jose Sharks

Anthony Duclair is on the move after all, only he isn’t netting the Florida Panthers a defenseman.

The Panthers traded the right wing to the Sharks for Steven Lorentz and a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. The move frees up nearly $2 million cap space for Florida.

“We’re excited to welcome Steven to the Panthers,” Panthers general manager Bill Zito said in a press release announcing the move. “This move gives us long-term flexibility for our club, while also addressing needs of size, speed and depth for our forward group.”

Both Duclair and Lorentz, a center, are set to become unrestricted free agents after this year.

Lorentz, 27, scored 10 goals and had nine assists in 80 games for San Jose last season, and played some on both the power play and penalty kill. The 6-foot-4, 206-pound forward also led the Sharks with 133 hits.

Duclair, also 27, had two goals and seven assists in 20 games in the regular season after recovering from a torn left Achilles tendon. He often played on the first line next to All-Star center Aleksander Barkov.

Duclair’s name has been part of trade rumors all week, although those rumors largely tied Florida to Flames defenseman Noah Hanifin, who’s on the trade block.

“A great ambassador for the sport of hockey, we would like to thank Anthony for his contributions to the Panthers organization and in the South Florida community,” said Zito.

It’s the latest move from a busy albeit low-key first day of NHL free agency for the Panthers. In addition to the Duclair trade, Florida signed defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Niko Mikkola, Dmitry Kulikov and Kevin Reilly as well as center Kevin Stenlund and goaltender Anthony Stolarz. The Panthers also brought back winger Grigori Denisenko and defenseman Lucas Carlsson.