Ryan Kesler’s 2018-19 Season Still Up In The Air

Among the biggest disappointments in the Anaheim Ducks season was Ryan Kesler, who battled through injury to return midway through the year only to be a shadow of his former self. In 44 games, Kesler registered just 14 points and averaged his lowest time on ice in more than a decade. He was visibly not the same shutdown two-way center of the past, and he registered just two assists and six shots on goal as the Ducks were swept out of the first round. Now, in the latest 31 Thoughts column by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the possibility of Kesler missing the entire 2018-19 season is brought up.

Kesler underwent hip surgery last summer in an attempt to solve a chronic issue, but Friedman now reports that he’ll undergo “aggressive rehab and treatment” this time around to try and get back on the ice. There is a chance that he sits out the entire season and tries to return in 2019-20, when he’ll be 35 years old. He still has four years on his contract that carries a $6.88MM cap hit, meaning it’s unlikely he’ll retire either way. But now there is a chance that he could spend all of next season on LTIR should the rehab not work as hoped.

While Friedman doesn’t go into what kind of odds there are of Kesler missing the season, just the fact that he won’t be back at full strength should drastically change the Ducks’ offseason plans. With him in the picture the team has some of the best center depth in the league, with Ryan Getzlaf, Adam Henrique and Rickard Rakell all able to play the position. Without him, things start to deteriorate down the middle for the Ducks. Antoine Vermette, who also dealt with injuries this season but is an effective bottom-six center when healthy is an unrestricted free agent this summer, as is Derek Grant who emerged as a capable option with 24 points this season.

The Ducks face an offseason where they already had to rethink the structure of their forward group, and with the news on Kesler that becomes even more integral. As Corey Perry continues to slow down as he and Getzlaf enter their mid-thirties, the team will be looking to the next generation of forwards to start carrying more of the load. Perhaps free agency is another place they can attract some support, but there isn’t a ton of cap space left. Brandon Montour, Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase all need new deals as they head into restricted free agency, and an extension for John Gibson is right around the corner. It’s not clear how the Ducks will improve their squad for 2018-19, but there is a clear need for something to happen.

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