When an NHL general manager phones a player directly, the conversation can go in myriad directions.
The possibility of a trade, a contract extension or a blunt performance evaluation all are on the table for discussion. So when Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito called Anthony Duclair last month, the forward’s curiosity was naturally piqued.
But after a few moments, it was clear this would be unlike any conversation Duclair had experienced as an NHL player.
Zito and Panthers owner Vincent Viola wanted to know what they could do to help the 25-year-old promote any meaningful messages ahead of Martin Luther King Day.
“It was the first time in my six years in the league that the GM has ever reached out to me asking that type of question. It caught me off guard, to be honest with you,” Duclair told The Athletic. “But he was so supportive with whatever I wanted to do with the messaging.
