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Duclair makes a good first impression with Blackhawks

Give Anthony Duclair credit for making a good impression on his first day with the Blackhawks.

As the morning skate came to a close Friday, Duclair was the last to reach the mob of players encircling coach Joel Quenneville, which meant the new winger had to do a lap.

While some players have been known to skate 100-120 feet, Duclair whipped around the entire rink before listening to what Quenneville had to say before the Hawks beat Winnipeg 2-1 at the United Center.

Duclair's lasting impression with Arizona - his former team - wasn't as impressive, with the 22-year-old requesting a trade. He got his wish when the Hawks sent Richard Panik and Laurent Dauphin to the Coyotes on Wednesday.

"I didn't have the leash that others had," said Duclair, who was a healthy scratch in 10 of Arizona's 43 games. "I'm not going to say it was unfair to me, but at the same time just talking to older guys - they felt like I deserved a little better, and I thought so, too."

The 5-foot-11, 191-pound Duclair scored 20 goals two seasons ago and has 9 this season. The Hawks hope he'll make them a speedier and dangerous offensive team.

"It caught a lot of guys by surprise his first year," said Connor Murphy, who played with Duclair for three seasons in Arizona. "He throws some quickness and agility and has the hands to match it."

Duclair skated on the left wing with David Kampf and Alex DeBrincat as his linemates. He played nearly 12 minutes, saw 2:16 of power-play time and registered the primary assist on Jan Rutta's second-period goal that made it 2-0.

"He has some offensive flair, has some different looks for us, adds some skill to our team," Quenneville said. "I thought he did a lot of good things."

Duclair also almost scored an "own goal" when the puck escaped the Hawks' zone with Jeff Glass pulled for an extra attacker during a delayed penalty. Fortunately for the Hawks, Gustav Forsling arrived in the nick of time to keep the puck out of the net.

"That would have been bad," Duclair said. "I got scared for a little bit."

Injury update:

Coach Joel Quenneville hopes Artem Anisimov, who is on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, can return after the bye week when the Hawks host the Islanders on Jan. 20.

"It might take him a game," Quenneville said. "I'm not sure."

As for where Anisimov slots in, Quenneville said it could be with Patrick Kane on the second line but it could be further down the lineup as well.

"He can make us a deeper team; doesn't have to play with Kaner and (Nick Schmaltz)," Quenneville said. "We like our options."

He said it:

"Not to bring too many swim trunks."

Connor Murphy's advice to former Arizona teammate Anthony Duclair, who joined the Hawks on Friday

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