Coyotes see Duclair demotion as statement from management

The Arizona Coyotes shipped struggling sophomore Anthony Duclair down the road to Tucson on Thursday to open up space on the active roster for grinder Ryan White.

With three goals and nine points from 41 games following his 20-goal, 44-point rookie season, the move doesn't require a rationale. Duclair needs a change in setting, and a chance to recoup some confidence; his production is too important to a club ranked second from the bottom in total scoring.

Duclair's teammates have faith in his talent, and believe his demotion is as much an indictment of themselves as it is of him.

"He's too good to not be back up," forward Jamie McGinn said, according to the Coyotes' Dave Vest. "We know he's going to be back up. It's just a wake-up call for our team."

If and when Duclair returns is unknown, though John Chayka and Dave Tippett both indicated that he would be back. Timing his recall with the return of Max Domi, who has been out for more than a month with a fracture in his hand, might be the best thing for Duclair and the team.