Ducks center Adam Henrique was originally designated as out week-to-week but Eric Stephens of The Athletic clarifies (Twitter link) that the actual timeline for him to recover from his sprained MCL is five-to-six weeks. Accordingly, it’s possible that the 33-year-old is able to return late in the season. Henrique has 19 goals and 14 assists in 57 games in 2022-23 and Stephens notes that there was some legitimate interest in him at the trade deadline although the injury certainly cooled that off. He’ll be featured in plenty of trade speculation again next season when he’ll be in the final year of his contract, one that carries an AAV of $5.825MM.
More from Anaheim:
- Goaltender Anthony Stolarz was initially listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury but Stephens reports (subscription link) that the veteran is actually out for the rest of the season. That took away any chance that the Ducks had of moving him before yesterday’s trade deadline. Stolarz will hit the market this summer coming off what was a disappointing year that saw him put up a 3.73 GAA with a .897 SV% in 19 games. Lukas Dostal, the presumptive backup next season to John Gibson, should get an opportunity for more regular playing time down the stretch.
- While new prospect Nikita Nesterenko has one more year of college eligibility remaining, don’t expect him to use it. Speaking on a team podcast following the trade deadline (audio link), GM Pat Verbeek indicated that the plan is to sign the 21-year-old to an ATO agreement to allow him to play in the minors after his season at Boston College comes to an end and will work on an NHL contract from there. Nesterenko is eligible to opt for free agency this summer since it has been four years since he was drafted. He has 30 points in 33 games with Boston College this season.