The Anaheim Ducks face significant challenges as young forwards Leo Carlsson and Trevor Zegras are out injured. In a season focused on development rather than playoff contention, these setbacks raise concerns among Duck fans and management alike.
Leo Carlsson’s Upper-Body Injury
Leo Carlsson‘s upper-body and Trevor Zegras‘ lower-body injuries leave the Anaheim Ducks without two key roster pieces. Fans eagerly await an update.
Leo Carlsson, the second overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, has been one of the few bright spots on the Ducks’ offence this season. Unfortunately, he sustained an upper-body injury against the Seattle Kraken on November 25. Carlsson collided with Tye Kartye, who sent Carlsson crashing into his net. This injury has sidelined Carlsson for four games, with no clear return date.
On a happier note, Leo was named to Team Sweden’s Four Nations Roster.
Article:
Some pre-game reading following this evening’s 4 Nations roster announcements
Leo Carlsson named to Sweden’s roster as the youngest player in the tournament by two years and 126 days (Faber)
@TheHockeyNews | #FlyTogether https://t.co/YKwQzrzJ1P
— Patrick Present (@PatrickCPresent) December 5, 2024
Impressively, Carlsson is the youngest player in the tournament by over two years. Reading into his selection, Ducks’ fans can assume that Carlsson should be back by February 12th at the latest – when the Four Nations Tournament begins.
Trevor Zegras’ Lower-Body Injury
Trevor Zegras suffered a lower-body injury on December 4, during a game against the Vegas Golden Knights. Zegras awkwardly fell backward and immediately waved to the bench after taking a faceoff against former Duck William Karlsson. Zegras could not put any weight on his leg and required assistance to leave the ice. After the game, Head Coach Greg Cronin indicated that Zegras would undergo further evaluation, with no immediate update on his condition.
Here’s a link to the video for those interested.
Trevor Zegras immediately waved at the bench after he went down. Not what the Ducks need to see at this point (or any point).@SportingTrib | #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/GADrsRXNzi
— Zach Cavanagh (@ZachCav) December 5, 2024
Even worse, this is Zegras’ third significant injury in less than a year and second to his lower body. Last season, he missed 51 games due to a broken ankle that required surgery.
Impact on the Team
Carlsson and Zegras’ absence is a significant blow to the Ducks. Carlsson’s early contributions have been exciting and vital to the team’s mediocre success. As of December 6th, Carlsson is tied for fifth in the league with four game-winning goals and first on the Ducks with six goals. The Ducks will certainly miss those clutch goals. While Zegras has been heating up lately in a season he hoped would silence critics. This injury is a gut punch. Both injuries disrupt the lineup, weaken offensive production, and push a teetering season closer to the edge. It will be up to Cronin to find new line combinations to keep this season from going completely off the rails. Here is a prediction of what his new forward lines may look like:
Vatrano – Strome – Terry
Gauthier – McTavish – Killorn
Regenda* – Lundestrom – Leason
Johnston – Harkins – Colangelo
*Currently with the San Diego Gulls. Anaheim’s AHL affiliate.
Cronin should not break up the Vatrano, Strome, Terry line as it has been the most consistent line this season. Troy Terry should be getting first-line minutes as the best forward on the team 24 games in. For the Ducks to have any chance of success, Mason McTavish, a former third overall pick, will need to step up offensively in Carlsson and Zegras’ absence. The Ducks are limited on players in the organization who can play the left side; in part because Brock McGinn is also injured. General Manager Pat Verbeek will likely recall someone from the San Diego Gulls, and Pavol Regenda is having a decent (3-7-10) season to go with some NHL experience.
Looking Ahead
The team and fans alike are hopeful for positive updates on Carlsson and Zegras soon, but recent history suggests those updates will be fleeting. The Ducks have been tight-lipped around injuries lately.
The injuries to Leo Carlsson and Trevor Zegras also bring urgency to the question of what the Ducks’ trade deadline strategy will be. With their young stars temporarily sidelined, Anaheim will likely struggle to find points and make it almost certain that they will be deadline sellers — if that wasn’t the case already. If the Ducks opt to sell, they could move veterans like Cam Fowler or John Gibson to acquire future assets and deepen their prospect pool further. Fowler provides a steady presence and first-round quality talent. Gibson is a former Vezina contender, who has fallen out of form in the past few seasons, but maybe a change of scenery will spark his renaissance. Both players could slide into a contender’s roster and contribute. The Ducks would also be able to take on some of both player’s cap hits given the team’s $27m+ in cap space.
We are still months away from the trade deadline, and while Ducks fans may have had playoff aspirations before the season, the injury bug is slowly squishing those hopes.
Main Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
The post What the Injuries to Key Forwards Mean for the Ducks’ Season appeared first on Last Word On Hockey.