- Ducks defenseman Kevin Bieksa could be available to return to the lineup as soon as Friday, head coach Randy Carlyle noted to Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register. The veteran rearguard is set to miss his fourth straight game due to a hand injury against Toronto. Anaheim has been dealing with injuries on the back end all season; they’ve been without at least two of their regular defenders in every game so far.
Ducks Rumors
Ryan Getzlaf Leaves Game With Facial Injury
The already injury-riddled Anaheim Ducks have yet another health concern and possibly the most worrisome to date. The latest casualty was none other than captain Ryan Getzlaf, who took a shot to the face from his long-time partner in crime, Corey Perry, in the opening seconds of tonight’s game versus the Carolina Hurricanes. Getzlaf was evaluated for an “upper body injury” before eventually being declared out for the game by the team.
Initially, the injury seemed far from serious (video). Getzlaf seemed only stunned by the shot, which lost much of its momentum after a deflection by the ’Canes Sebastian Aho. There was no blood nor any exaggerated reaction and Getzlaf skated off the ice without issue. However, when he did not return, things became somewhat more daunting for the Ducks. Getzlaf, without a doubt, is the leader of the Anaheim forward corps and plays an invaluable role for the team. Fortunately, the injury still does not have the appearance of anything major and Getzlaf’s absence could be purely precautionary. At worst, a facial injury – even a bone break – tends to be a short-term loss. The Minnesota Wild’s Marcus Foligno for example missed only a week with a facial fracture suffered in a fight earlier this season.
Yet, in the context of Anaheim’s mounting losses, any extended absence for Getzlaf could be problematic. Ryan Miller finally made his ducks debut tonight and Hampus Lindholm and Ondrej Kase re-joined the team this week as well, but that still leaves an injured reserve that features Ryan Kesler, Patrick Eaves, Cam Fowler, and Kevin Bieksa and an active Sami Vatanen who still seems unprepared to resume play. The Ducks already have Korbinian Holzer and Jaycob Megna playing key roles on the blue line; the team can’t afford the same lack of depth up front, particularly at center, where a long stretch with 35-year-old Antoine Vermette as the top option down the middle could spell disaster for the team. The Ducks need to get healthy, and suddenly that starts with avoiding any sidelining of Getzlaf (if possible).
Vegas Expected To Promote Shea Theodore
One positive of all the recent Vegas Golden Knights waiver moves is likely to come out of everything. And that’s TSN’s Bob McKenzie’s report that with veteran defenseman Jason Garrison having cleared waivers today and the team placing defenseman Griffin Reinhart on waivers today, the Golden Knights are expected to recall top prospect defenseman Shea Theodore from Chicago of the AHL today and have him join the team for Monday’s game against the New York Islanders.
Theodore is the 22-year-old prize of Vegas’ expansion draft this summer when they got the 2013 first-round pick from Anaheim in an expansion draft trade in exchange for selecting Clayton Stoner and his pricey contract. Theodore was a key contributor for the Anaheim Ducks last year, especially during their playoff run, putting up nine points in 34 regular season games, but also eight points in 14 playoff games.
While he was one of the team’s top defenders in training camp, the Golden Knights sent Theodore, who is waiver eligible, to the Wolves, while the team sorted out its roster. The blueliner didn’t disappoint while waiting in Chicago, dominating in the AHL. He put up five goals and six assists in eight games and looks ready to take a major role on the Golden Knights 8-1 team.
As for Garrison, who cleared waivers today, the 32-year-old defender has been assigned to Chicago and is expected to play for the Wolves on Monday, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Steve Carp.
Western Notes: Vlasic, Shipachyov, Kossila, Oleksy
The San Jose Sharks seem to have faired well on a five-game East Coast road trip and the team is 5-5. The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz (subscription required) released his 10 Sharks observations, and is quick to lodge his complaint on the team’s usage of veteran defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who he believes should not be used on the power play any more.
While Kurz writes that he isn’t taking away from Vlasic’s defensive game as he is fantastic at covering other team’s top players, he points out that he is the wrong guy for the power play and has been for some time. Since the start of the 2015-16 season, Vlasic has played 169:25 minutes of ice time on the power play for San Jose, sixth-most on the team. He has one goal and seven assists in those two-plus years on the power play and just a lone assist this year in 25 minutes of power play time.
The team needs to look for a younger defenseman to take over that role on San Jose’s second power play unit and Kurz pointed to rookie Joakim Ryan as a possible candidate. While the 24-year-old has been pointless so far this season, Ryan led the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda in shots on goal last season with 185. His 10 goals and 39 assists last year, suggest he might be able to handle that role.
- The Vadim Shipachyov saga isn’t over yet. Expected to skate tonight with the AHL Chicago Wolves after being assigned there Wednesday by the Vegas Golden Knights, the 30-year-old playmaker is not in tonight’s lineup for the Wolves in their game against the Milwaukee Admirals, according to Jesse Granger of The Las Vegas Sun. Chicago has not specified why he isn’t in the lineup. However, according to Sportsnet’s Eric Engels, Shipachyov will not play and is returning to Las Vegas to be with his family. He did practice with Chicago yesterday, which is why he was expected to play today. The KHL veteran had been assigned at the start of the year to Chicago, but didn’t report and Vegas allowed him to stay in Vegas. However, there is no indication the team had planned to allow him the same courtesy this time around.
- The Anaheim Ducks announced they have reassigned center Kalle Kossila and defenseman Steven Oleksy to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. Two moves had to be made after the team activated both Sami Vatanen and Ryan Miller for tonight’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Kossila, played in two games for Anaheim this week, putting up a goal and an assist. The 24-year-old had two goals and four assists in five AHL games. Oleksy was called up Thursday, but did not play. The 31-year-old blueliner has two goals and two assists in five games for the Gulls.
Vatanen, Miller Activated Off IR
- 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.
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.