Islanders grant Anthony Duclair's request for an indefinite leave of absence

Anthony Duclair has been granted an indefinite leave of absence from the Islanders, coach Patrick Roy announced Thursday morning after practice.

“Obviously, you saw Anthony was not at practice today,” Roy said. “This morning Anthony and I had a very good conversation, a very positive one, and Anthony asked me to take some time off to reflect. Obviously, I agreed to that. I will give him all the time that he needs. So that should close the discussion over Anthony.”

Roy publicly criticized Duclair’s play after Tuesday night’s 4-1 loss to the Lightning at UBS Arena. Duclair was minus-1 with two shots on goal, a hit and a giveaway in 12:15 of ice time.

“He was god-awful,” Roy said after the game. “He had a bad game. That’s why I didn’t play him a lot. And he’s lucky to be in the lineup. I’m sorry if I lose it on him right now, but that’s how I feel. He’s not skating. He’s not competing. He’s not moving his feet. He’s not playing up to what we expect from him. I think it’s an effort thing.”

Duclair signed a four-year, $14 million contract on July 1 and was expected to bolster the Islanders’ attack.

That has not happened. Duclair’s production has been limited to seven goals and four assists in 44 games, due in part to a groin injury early in the season that caused him to miss 28 games.

Duclair suffered the injury in the Islanders’ fifth game of the season, a 4-3 shootout win over the Canadiens at UBS Arena on Oct. 19. He was helped off the ice and was unable to put weight on his right leg.

“Once I fell there, I knew something was wrong. Something I never felt before,” Duclair said before his first game back on Dec. 21 against Toronto. “Right when I got into the locker room — especially [when] I couldn’t skate off on my own — I knew something was going on. I didn’t know the timeline, but when I got the news, it was devastating. I’d only played five games and the season just started and it felt like I was starting to play well.”

He has struggled since his return, recording five goals and three assists in 39 games.

Without Duclair on Thursday, Roy shifted rookie Maxim Tsyplakov from the fourth line to the second line with Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Kyle Palmieri. Matt Martin skated on the fourth line with Kyle MacLean and Marc Gatcomb, and Martin will slot back into the lineup for Friday night’s game against the Minnesota Wild.

“I just found out a couple minutes ago, so I’m excited to get back in the lineup and play a game,” said Martin, who has played in 24 games this season, the last on Jan. 16. “It means a lot. [Any time] you can put on this crest and play with your teammates is a pretty special thing. It’s been a little while here, so I’m looking forward to getting some game action and hopefully contribute to a win.”

The Islanders (32-32-10, 74 points) have eight regular-season games remaining and are seven points behind the Canadiens (36-30-9) for the second and final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.