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Ducks Activate Jansen Harkins From IR

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The Anaheim Ducks have activated forward Jansen Harkins off of injured reserve. Harkins has missed the first seven games of Anaheim’s season due to an upper-body injury sustained in the preseason. Despite returning to the active roster, Harkins is expected to serve as a healthy scratch in Anaheim’s Saturday matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Harkins is a true fourth-line forward for Anaheim. He recorded six points and a minus-13 through 62 games with the Ducks last season, while averaging roughly 11 minutes of ice time. But it was his off-puck impact that stood out. Harkins posted the best faceoff percentage (53.4) and third-most hits (136) on the Ducks 2024-25 roster. He had a similar impact with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2023-24 season – recording four assists and 74 hits in 45 games. Before a one-year stay in Pittsburgh, Harkins sepnt four years with the Winnipeg Jets, where he racked up 27 points and 86 hits in 154 games.

Despite Harkins bringing a poised and physical style, the Ducks will have little motivation to change up their fourth-line. Ryan Poehling has managed well enough as the team’s fourth-line center. He has managed two assists, splitting the gap in scoring between his wingers Sam Colangelo (one point) and Ross Johnston (three points). With chemistry looking strong between that trio, Harkins’ season debut may need to wait until Anaheim needs a physical, shutdown presence that Poehling can’t provide.

Radko Gudas Leaves Game With Lower-Body Injury

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  • The Anaheim Ducks announced that defenseman Radko Gudas will not return to tonight’s game against the Boston Bruins. Based on the footage of the game, it appears Gudas suffered the injury crashing into the boards while attempting to protect and make a turn with the puck while being pressured by Bruins forward Jeffrey Viel. Gudas is a key veteran leader for the Ducks, serving as their captain and leading penalty-killer. For as long as his injury keeps him off the ice, expect veteran right-handed blueliner Jacob Trouba to take on an increased role and fill in for some of Gudas’ vacated minutes.

Injury Notes: Dickinson, Mikkola, Harkins

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Chicago Blackhawks centerman Jason Dickinson is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury and will be a game-time decision on Sunday, head coach Jeff Blashill told Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio. Dickinson headed to the locker room partway through Friday’s game against Vancouver after receiving a heavy, awkward hit from Canucks winger Conor Garland. He returned, left again, then returned again throughout the remaining game – though it seems the injury is sticking around a day later.

Dickinson has been a core piece of one of Chicago’s best lines this season, centering fellow NHL veterans Ryan Donato and Ilya Mikheyev. The trio have outscored their opponents four-to-one in six games together, more than any other Hawks line. Dickinson sitting out of Sunday’s match against the Anaheim Ducks would force Chicago to break up their starting forward line against stingy competition. The Ducks sit with a 2-2-0 record and negative goal-differential (-3) but they’re led by legendary Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville and roster a long list of promising youngsters who can takeover games. Chicago has been thriving as of late – with a 2-1-1 record in their last four – but this injury news could bring that down.

Other injury news from across the NHL:

  • Speaking of Anaheim, bruising forward Jansen Harkins returned to the team’s practice in a no-contact jersey on Saturday, captured by Patrick Present of The Hockey News. Harkins is recovering from an upper-body injury sustained in a preseason match against the Los Angeles Kings on September 21. He was originally expected to miss about eight weeks, placing his return date still three weeks away. But already returning to practice could be enough to shorten that timeframe for Harkins. Then again, the Ducks may want to monitor their bottom-line bruiser a bit closer, after he ranked third on the team with 136 hits in 62 games last season.
  • Florida Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola left Saturday’s match against the Buffalo Sabres with an upper-body injury. He sustained the injury after getting tangled up with Sabres winger Tyson Kozak and falling awkwardly into the boards. Mikkola only appeared in seven minutes of ice time prior to the injury. He remains without any scoring through seven games this season, though the physical impact Mikkola brings to each game will still be sorely missed should he have to sit out any more. He was a nightly feature in both of Florida’s Stanley Cup wins, and continues to play upwards of 24 minutes a night this season. That role will be tough to replace. Recent waiver claim Donovan Sebrango would be the next in line for ice time. He recorded 20 points and 79 penalty minutes in 50 games with the Belleville Senators last season, and has no scoring in four career appearances in the NHL.

Ducks Recall Ian Moore

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The Anaheim Ducks have recalled defenseman Ian Moore from the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. They still have one open roster spot available, after placing forwards Jansen Harkins and Ryan Strome on injured reserve. Strome could be a candidate to join Anaheim on their upcoming five-game road-trip, though if he will won’t be clear until Saturday.

This stands as the first call-up of Moore’s young career. He signed to the Ducks’ roster directly out of college last season, and recorded one point in his first three NHL games before being assigned to the minor-leagues. That assignment continued through the start of this season – though Moore will now return to the NHL with five points in 10 AHL games to his name. He’s a defense-first defender, who excels in the technical areas of breaking up play and winning positioning. His strong on-ice presence earned Moore the captaincy at Harvard University in his junior and senior seasons, in 2023-24 and 2024-25.

Moore will offer a replacement for bottom-pair, right-defender Drew Helleson, who has two points in four games to start the year. Helleson played through his rookie NHL season last year, marked by 13 points and 47 penalty minutes in 56 games. He has operated as the young backer to veterans Radko Gudas and Jacob Trouba on Anaheim’s right-side.

Anaheim Ducks Reassign Tim Washe

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The former captain of the National Championship-winning Western Michigan University Broncos is headed to the AHL. According to a team announcement, the Anaheim Ducks have reassigned forward Tim Washe to the San Diego Gulls.

Washe joined the Ducks organization last season after winning the National Championship against Boston College, signing a one-year entry-level deal. He played in two games for Anaheim down the stretch, going scoreless while averaging 7:44 of ice time per game.

Unfortunately, though he technically made the team’s roster out of training camp, Washe didn’t feature in the Ducks’ opening night loss to the Seattle Kraken. Although his leadership and work ethic have impressed Anaheim’s coaching staff, he was only on the roster to fill in for the injured Ryan Strome. Given that Strome was only dealing with a mild injury, today’s news indicates he’ll be activated from injured reserve next week after the Ducks return from the road trip that they’ve already ruled him out for.

He can’t be counted in the same tier as Anaheim’s other up-and-coming forward prospects, but Washe could find some staying power in a bottom-six role. He was impressive for the Broncos last season, scoring 16 goals and 38 points in 42 games. Still, the Clarkson, MI native is already 24 years old with only two games of professional experience under his belt. After he spends a few months with the AHL Gulls, the Ducks will have a clearer picture of how much he could contribute at the NHL level.

Ducks Place Ryan Strome On IR, Beckett Sennecke To Debut

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The Ducks already announced they won’t have veteran forward Ryan Strome on hand for their season-opening road trip due to an upper-body injury. Today, they formalized an injured reserve placement for Strome, according to the NHL’s media site. It’s not clear yet if there’s a corresponding transaction. They recalled Tim Washe from AHL San Diego last night in Strome’s place, but the roster spot for Washe was opened up by goaltender Ville Husso heading to the minors after clearing waivers.

In any event, Anaheim is now working with an open roster spot. They can backdate his IR placement to yesterday, meaning he’s now on Day 2 of his required seven-day absence. The earliest he’ll be eligible to return is Oct. 15, which would also rule him out of Anaheim’s home opener against the Penguins next Tuesday unless his IR placement is backdated further than anticipated. The Ducks haven’t divulged any specifics, but their only ruling him out for their road trip is a promising sign that he shouldn’t miss too much, if any time, after he’s eligible for activation.

Strome has rarely missed time since signing a five-year, $25MM deal with Anaheim in free agency in 2022. He’s played all 82 games twice and only missed three games in the 2023-24 season due to an illness and an upper-body injury.

Strome’s absence opens the door for 2024 No. 3 overall pick Beckett Sennecke to make his NHL debut after breaking camp with the team. Strome had spent most of camp centering Anaheim’s veteran third line between Frank Vatrano and Alex Killorn. Free-agent splash Mikael Granlund will move down to fill that 3C role while Sennecke slots into second-line duties on the right side on a youth-fueled line with Cutter Gauthier and Mason McTavish, Zach Cavanagh of The Sporting Tribune relayed yesterday.

The 32-year-old Strome has been as consistent as possible as a Duck, hitting 41 points on the nose in each of his three seasons in Orange County. He’s had decent defensive impacts, particularly last season, when he posted a relative +3.7% Corsi share at even strength. He chews up minutes, averaging more than 16 per game, and quietly leaves a significant hole in Anaheim’s lineup early on that Sennecke, who’s coming off an 86-point season for the OHL’s Oshawa Generals, will look to fill.

Ducks Recall Tim Washe From AHL

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The Anaheim Ducks announced tonight that they have recalled Tim Washe from AHL San Diego. The 24-year-old will join the club in advance of the Ducks season opener in Seattle tomorrow. 

Washe, undrafted, has made a nice impression with the organization in a short time. Signed as an NCAA free agent after leading Western Michigan University to their first National Championship, Washe broke out offensively last season, notching 38 points as the Broncos’ captain. Although the Detroit native has just two NHL games under his belt, and no other professional experience, Washe is certainly battle tested. Impressively, his Broncos appeared in the Frozen Four four straight seasons, finally breaking through as champions last year. 

Given Ryan Strome’s absence due to a lower-body injury, which came out earlier today, Washe, 6’3”, likely slots into the Ducks’ bottom-six in a heavy forechecking role. Like many NCAA undrafted-to-NHL forwards before him, Washe thrives on a physical two-way game, and clearly, accomplished Ducks Head Coach Joel Quenneville likes Washe’s abilities, quickly pulling him back from the AHL. 

Washe did not have to pass through waivers to reach San Diego, having been assigned just two days ago. Now, it will be interesting to see if the forward, who has quickly found a spot in the NHL, will get a real look at sneaking into the Ducks lineup for good this season.

Injury Notes: Girgensons, Vlasic, Strome

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Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper was asked by Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times if Zemgus Girgensons could be considered week-to-week, and Cooper confirmed Encina’s suspicions, saying it is “probably a semi-safe assessment of where he’s at right now”. 

The 31-year-old Latvian forward was injured in Saturday’s preseason tilt vs Florida, a game which caught the league’s attention with over 300 penalty minutes combined between the rivals. The Lightning actually faced fines and a hearing with the Department of Player Safety for the festivities that occurred throughout the game. 

Girgensons will miss his first regular season game as a Bolt, having appeared in all 82 games last season, netting 6 points in a largely shutdown role. 

Elsewhere across the league:

  • Chicago Head Coach Jeff Blashill says Alex Vlasic is all set to play tomorrow, as confirmed by Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times. Vlasic was absent in the 2025-26 NHL season opener due to a lower-body injury, as the Blackhawks fell to Florida. Having broken out last season with 30 points, the Blackhawks will be glad to welcome the young Illinois native back to the lineup.
  • The Anaheim Ducks announced today that dependable center Ryan Strome will miss the team’s upcoming road trip due to an upper-body injury, which was previously under wraps. The 32-year-old veteran has only missed three regular season games in his first three seasons with the Ducks, twice being an all-82-game player. Strome has flashed remarkable consistency, netting 41 points exactly in each campaign. Based on the Ducks’ statement, he is set to miss games in Seattle and San Jose, but perhaps could return for the home opener against Pittsburgh next Tuesday.

Ducks’ Ville Husso Clears Waivers

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10/8: Husso has cleared waivers per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. That will open the door for Husso to take on the starting role for the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. He has posted 66 wins and a .909 save percentage in 152 career appearances in the AHL.

10/7: The Anaheim Ducks have placed goaltender Ville Husso on waivers, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The move cuts the Ducks roster to two goalies – Lukas Dostal and Petr Mrazek – with a few days left before opening night. Anaheim signed Husso to a two-year, $4.4MM contract extension in late June. Should he make it to the minor leagues, he would only carry a $1.05MM hit against Anaheim’s cap.

It’s no surprise to see Husso back on the waiver wire. He was waived by the Detroit Red Wings almost exactly one year ago, after starting their season with a 1-5-2 record and .866 save percentage in nine games. He moved to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins and started to bounce back, marked by an 8-4-0 record and .912 save percentage in 13 games.

That was enough to catch the eye of a Ducks, who had lost goalie prospects Calle Clang and Tomas Suchanek to knee injuries. Anaheim acquired Husso in exchange for future considerations in February, and initially kept him in the minor-leagues. He suited up for nine games with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls, posting seven wins and a team-best .907 save percentage. When Anaheim lost John Gibson to injury in March and April, Husso stood as their go-to call-up, helping him push into four games at the end of Anaheim’s season. Husso was surprisingly sharp in the small sample, posting a .925 save percentage – higher than any of his prior seasons in the NHL.

With stout play at both levels, Anaheim opted to sign Husso to a more manageable cap hit this summer. Speaking about the deal, and about trading Gibson to Detroit, Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek told Derek Lee of The Hockey News that Husso offers a helpful bit of veteran reliability. He said:

If we have any injuries up top, it allows to be able to call that third goaltender up to support (Dostal or Mrazek). It also allows San Diego to have a good goaltender to carry a lot of the load and allow our younger guys to keep maturing

Goalies have been a popular commodity on the waiver wire. Each of Pheonix Copley, Cayden Primeau, and Colten Ellis have already been claimed by new teams. That means there’s no guarantee that Husso will fall through 31 other teams. If he does, he’ll be the clear starter for the San Diego Gulls, operating ahead of Suchanek and Clang.

Jansen Harkins Placed On IR, Set To Miss Approximately Eight Weeks

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10/2: Anaheim has officially placed Harkins on injured reserve, following their last round of training camp cuts.

9/27: Having just locked up Mason McTavish earlier today, the Anaheim Ducks have more news affecting their forward core; Jansen Harkins is set to miss approximately eight weeks with an upper body injury, per the team’s announcement. 

Harkins was injured last Sunday against the Kings after a hit into the side boards, and was seen leaving the arena in a sling. 

The 28-year-old is entering the final year of his two-year, $1.575MM deal with Anaheim. Despite being waived out of camp last fall, Harkins ended up playing in 62 games for the Ducks, notching 6 points, and making most of his impact defensively. 

Originally drafted 47th overall by the Winnipeg Jets in 2015, having shown high playmaking ability in the WHL, the Cleveland native spent the next four seasons in the Jets’ system, before finally earning his role in the NHL and becoming a key depth forward. After eight total seasons contributing in the Jets’ organization, Harkins was claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he spent 2023-24 between the big club, and the AHL, in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

With the veteran set to miss time, perhaps eyes now turn toward young centers Nikita Nesterenko and Tim Washe, who both have the right skillset for Anaheim’s bottom six. 

Nesterenko was originally drafted in the sixth round of the 2019 draft by the Minnesota Wild. The 24-year-old became a key player for Boston College and legitimate NHL prospect, whose rights were acquired by the Ducks in the 2023 John Klingberg deal. Since then, Nesterenko has spent most time with the San Diego Gulls, showcasing a strong two-way game based around defensive responsibility. The Brooklyn, New York native has appeared in 32 games with the Ducks over the last two seasons, netting 6 goals. 

Washe, a 24-year-old with imposing size at 6’3”, is a more recent pickup for the Ducks, coming in last season as an undrafted free agent from Western Michigan University. Washe jumped out of college to the pros last season, skating in two games for the Ducks, having yet to play in the AHL. However, with five collegiate seasons under his belt, including winning the 2025 National Championship as captain of the Broncos, Washe could make a case to slot into the bottom six for Harkins.

With key roster cuts to be made across the league in the next week, eyes will be on the Ducks as they enter the Joel Quenneville era, with several young players vying for spots.

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