Duclair had been skating with the team in his no-contact jersey since mid-January.
"It's a mental step more than anything," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. "He's been pushing it for an awfully long time. This is a long healing injury. … He's been battling. He's been doing a lot of that lately. This is good for him just to get out on the ice."
For the rest of the players on the ice, seeing Duclair back in a regular jersey provided a big boost.
"A lot of fun," Panthers forward Eric Staal said. "I skated with him a couple times, just me and him, and there's so much speed, so much talent there. … It looked great for him to be out there with the guys today and he'll keep building toward getting out there [in a game] with all of us."
Coming off a breakout 2021-22 season in which he set new career-highs in goals (31), assists (27) and points (58), Duclair is expected to return to the lineup at some point after Florida's current four-game road trip.
Even though he's now cleared for contact, he still needs time to reacclimate himself to that part of the game.
"I don't see him playing on this road trip, but he'll be very close when we get off it," Maurice said.
