- The Ducks have activated goaltender Ryan Miller off IR, reports Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register. The netminder is expected to serve as the backup tonight and then potentially make his first start of the season on Sunday. Miller is in his first season with Anaheim after signing a two-year deal with them in free agency but suffered a wrist injury in the preseason and has yet to suit up in a regular season game in 2017-18.
- Also coming off the IR in Anaheim is blueliner Sami Vatanen, Stephens notes in the same column. He has missed the entire season so far after undergoing surgery in May to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder. His return to the Ducks’ lineup comes at a great time with Cam Fowler (knee) and Kevin Bieksa (hand) both dealing with injuries.
Ducks Rumors
Cam Fowler Given Four To Eight Week Timeline
The Anaheim Ducks have dealt with never-ending injuries for the past few months, and now another one will keep a key player out for some time. Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register reports that the knee injury that has kept Cam Fowler out since October 20th was given a four to eight week timeline. That would keep Fowler out until at least November 17th.
Anaheim have also been without Sami Vatanen and Hampus Lindholm for the first part of the season—though the latter returned on Tuesday night—and were just dealt another blow when Kevin Bieksa was sent home from the road trip with a hand injury. While there is no timeline on Bieksa’s injury, the blueline is getting thinner and thinner for the Ducks, as they had to rely on Brandon Montour for more than 25 minutes last night.
While Vatanen is close to a return, the Ducks will miss Fowler’s presence on the back end after he developed into a legitimate top-pairing option a year ago. The 25-year old put up another solid offensive season with 39 points, while cleaning up his defensive play enough to be trusted with nearly 25 minutes a night. That excellent play in all situations earned Fowler some Norris votes as one of the league’s best defensemen, as well as an eight-year contract extension this summer. That deal won’t kick in until 2018-19, and will pay him an average of $6.5MM per season for most of the next decade.
When the season began it didn’t look like the Ducks would need to rely on Francois Beauchemin for more than about a month, but it now seems as though he’ll be needed for much longer in an advanced role. The 37-year old defenseman is averaging more than two minutes a game on both the penalty kill and powerplay, both numbers that could potentially increase with Fowler and Bieksa out long-term. For a player who was bought out by the Colorado Avalanche and signed to a one-year, $1MM deal the Ducks are certainly getting their money’s worth.
Patrick Eaves Released From Hospital, Resting At Home
- Lastly, some great news out of Anaheim. After Ducks’ forward Patrick Eaves was hospitalized with Guillain-Barre syndrome earlier this month, he announced on his Twitter page that he’s home and resting with his family. Eaves is expected to make a full recovery, though there is no clear timetable on his return to the ice. For now, the Ducks will need to move on without the 33-year old forward, whose long-term health is much more important than the games he is missing.
Anaheim Ducks Recall Steve Oleksy
Journeyman defenseman Steve Oleksy is set to make to join the Ducks for the first time, as Anaheim announced that they have called up the veteran blue liner. The Ducks are in Florida tonight to face the Panthers, so don’t expect Oleksy to make his debut right away, but with dates with the Lightning and Hurricanes still to come this weekend, the expectation is that Oleksy will join the team on their southeastern swing and could see some game action before the return trip to Anaheim.
Oleksy, 31, signed with the Ducks as a free agent this summer after spending last year with the eventual Stanley Cup-winning Pittsburgh Penguins after playing the three seasons prior with the rival Washington Capitals. Oleksy has never been an NHL regular – his career-high 33 games came in 2013-14 – but he has proven to be serviceable when called upon.
That’s all that Anaheim can ask for, as they are already on to their tenth different defender of the season. The Ducks revealed today that Kevin Bieksa is out indefinitely with a hand injury, as he joins stalwarts Sami Vatanen and Cam Fowler on the sidelines. With Shea Theodore and Clayton Stoner now in Las Vegas, the Ducks simply don’t have the depth that they used to on the blue line, leading to this opportunity for Oleksy on top of regular roles already for 37-year-old addition Francois Beauchemin and the likes of Korbinian Holzer and Jaycob Megna.
Kevin Bieksa Out Indefinitely With Hand Injury
- The Anaheim Ducks announced that Kevin Bieksa is out indefinitely with a hand injury, but amazingly it’s not the one he used to land a “Superman punch”. Bieka was in a fight with Radko Gudas when he jumped and delivered a knockout blow, landing on top of the Philadelphia Flyers’ defenseman. Bieksa didn’t leave the game after serving his penalty in the first period, and logged 18:20 of ice time on the night. It appears to be his left hand that is injured however, and he’s left the team during their current road trip. Korbinian Holzer is expected to replace him in the lineup tonight.
Patrick Eaves Hospitalized, Expected To Make Full Recovery
The Anaheim Ducks announced tonight some scary news surrounding Patrick Eaves. Eaves is currently in a hospital in Newport Beach, diagnosed with what is suspected to be Guillain-Barre syndrome. According to the Ducks press release, Eaves is expected to make a full recovery. From Eaves himself:
I want to thank Dr. Robert Watkins Sr. and Dr. Danny Benmoshe for their early diagnosis of my condition, along with the proactive Ducks medical team. Thanks to them and the incredible nurses at Hoag Hospital, I’m on the road to recovery. I’ve received tremendous amount of support over the last few days, most importantly from my family, friends and teammates. I’m determined to fully overcome this and return to the ice as soon as possible.
GBS, as the syndrome is sometimes called, is a disorder that affects the peripheral nervous system and can cause weakness, numbness in the limbs, and eventually paralysis. The disorder was caught early enough that they were able to stabilize his condition and move him out of the Intensive Care Unit. There is no timetable for his return to the team.
The 33-year old Eaves signed a new three-year contract with the Ducks in June after fitting in perfectly with them down the stretch. The team had traded for him at the deadline, and he scored 11 goals in his final 20 games to total 32 on the year—easily his career-high. He played in just two games this season, but will attempt to get back on the ice before the end of the year. Everyone here at PHR wishes him well in his recovery.
Morning Notes: Reilly, Kossila, Hemsky
The Minnesota Wild have recalled Mike Reilly back from the AHL, bringing their roster to 22-players. The Wild sent three players down to get them into some game action, but will likely make another recall tomorrow before their matchup with the Vancouver Canucks.
The Wild have been ravaged by injuries early in the season, but Mikael Granlund returned to a full practice today according to Michael Russo of The Athletic, and the team has still held their heads above water with a 2-2-2 record. While that’s obviously not exactly where they wanted to be through the first six games, as they begin to get their best players back on the ice they should start showing their contender status once again. Reilly, who played 17 games for the team last season and has already suited up four times for them this year, should act as quality depth on the blueline.
- The Anaheim Ducks have made a roster move of their own, recalling Kalle Kossila from the AHL. The team was down to just 21 players on their roster after moving Cam Fowler to injured reserve, but are expected to activate Hampus Lindholm this week. Ryan Getzlaf, who has also been out with injury is also expected back on the ice. Like Minnesota, the Ducks have been decimated by injury early on but have avoided a let down through the first seven games. With a record of 3-3-1, the team is starting to get healthy and will be trouble for Western Conference foes going forward. Kossila has been playing well at the minor league level, and could be called upon if Getzlaf isn’t able to play on Tuesday night.
- Ales Hemsky didn’t practice with the Montreal Canadiens today due to concussion-like symptoms, which threw a wrench into the lines. While Paul Byron found himself on the top unit with Jonathan Drouin, Alex Galchenyuk was relegated to fourth-line duty once again. Both Michael McCarron and Nikita Scherbak, recalled yesterday, were practicing alongside Galchenyuk, seemingly indicating that they’ll be in the lineup come Tuesday night against Florida. The Canadiens have 1-6-1 through the first part of the season, and are trying anything to spark their offense.
Eaves Sent To See Specialist Regarding His Lower-Body Injury
- Ducks winger Patrick Eaves was sent to see a specialist on Friday as he continues to deal with a lingering lower-body injury that has resulted in him playing just twice this season, notes Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register. While he continues to be listed as day-to-day, the fact they’ve sent him to see a specialist would suggest that there’s a chance he could be out for a little longer than that.
Lindholm, Vatanen Won't Play Friday But Are Nearing Return
- Although Ducks defensemen Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen have started skating with the team, both are out for tonight’s game against Montreal, the team announced (Twitter link). Both players had been targeting November 1st as a return date and while they’ll miss at least one more game, they still appear to be ahead of schedule in their recoveries from offseason shoulder surgeries.
Ducks Assign Nicolas Kerdiles To San Diego (AHL)
- The Ducks announced that they have returned winger Nicolas Kerdiles to San Diego of the AHL. He has played in two games with Anaheim this season but has failed to play four minutes in either of them. This marks the third time already this year that the 23-year-old has been sent down after he cleared waivers in late September.