Ducks Place Troy Terry On IR, Activate Isac Lundestrom
Before their game tonight against Toronto, the Ducks announced (Twitter link) multiple injury news. Winger Troy Terry was placed on injured reserve, paving the way for center Isac Lundestrom to be activated from IR. Meanwhile, middleman Ryan Strome is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Terry missed Sunday’s game with an upper-body injury so it’s likely that the placement will be back-dated to that point, meaning that he could be activated as soon as this weekend, if healthy. The 26-year-old is off to a slower start by his standards, notching nine goals and 13 assists in 35 games; last season, he played in twice as many games while collecting 61 points. Still, Terry sits third on Anaheim in scoring and will be a noticeable absence for however long he’s out.
Lundestrom, meanwhile, will be making his season debut after recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. The 24-year-old was a first-round pick back in 2018 (23rd overall) and looked like he was on his way toward becoming a capable regular after putting up 29 points in 80 games back in 2021-22. However, he struggled offensively last season, collecting just four goals and ten helpers in 61 games. Lundestrom was supposed to miss at least six months from his injury sustained in early August so he is coming back a month ahead of schedule. Considering it’s a contract year and he’ll be owed a $1.8MM qualifying offer with arbitration rights, Lundestrom will be hoping for a big second half of the season.
As for Strome, he is also among Anaheim’s scoring leaders, ranking fourth on the team in total points. The 30-year-old leads the Ducks in assists with 17 and is on pace for his fifth straight season of at least 40 points or more. Benoit-Olivier Groulx will take his place in the lineup, making his first appearance in more than two weeks.
Anaheim Ducks’ Isac Lundeström Sustains Achilles Injury
Anaheim Ducks center Isac Lundeström sustained an Achilles injury during offseason training in Sweden earlier this month and will miss the start of next season as a result, according to a report from Swedish outlet NSD translated by The Sporting Tribune’s Derek Lee.
Lee notes Lundeström suffered the injury about three weeks ago and has already undergone surgery, meaning he’s still got five to six months of recovery time ahead of him. That puts Lundeström’s season debut around mid-January 2024, potentially keeping him out for over half the season.
It’s a tough break for the 23-year-old Swede, who the Ducks hoped could take a major step in his development, at least offensively. Selected 23rd overall in the 2018 NHL Draft, Lundeström has been a star defensively on a team that’s struggled heavily to keep the puck out of their own net. He’s also averaged nearly two minutes per game on the penalty kill over the past three years and posted good results in the process.
If he stops developing now, he’s a perfectly fine third-line center, even on a contending team. That being said, Anaheim would love for him to display point production more in line with the 16 goals he put up in 2021-22, not the four goals and 14 points he posted in 61 games last season.
He’s a young player that often flies under the radar when talking about Anaheim’s next-generation core, which includes players like Trevor Zegras, Mason McTavish and Leo Carlsson. Still, he’s a promising long-term piece for the Ducks. It’s not like Lundeström’s received terribly sheltered minutes, either – he skated an average of 14:20 per game last season and still managed to keep his head above water defensively.
His absence opens up a hole for some other prospects, potentially Benoit-Olivier Groulx or Nikita Nesterenko, to get some more ice time with the Ducks out of the gate. Groulx, who’s posted double-digit goal totals on the AHL’s San Diego Gulls for three consecutive seasons, was selected 31 picks after Lundeström in the 2018 draft.
Lundeström is in the second season of a two-year, $3.6MM contract signed following an arbitration filing in 2022. He’s eligible for arbitration once again next offseason, though missing a good chunk of the year due to injury certainly won’t help his case.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Anaheim Ducks Activate Isac Lundestrom
The Anaheim Ducks have announced that forward Isac Lundestrom will be playing in tonight’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, meaning he has been activated off of injured reserve.
In addition to the news that Lundestrom is back in the lineup, the Ducks have announced that 2021 third-overall pick Mason McTavish is out with a lower-body injury.
On January 11th, we covered how Lundestrom was reportedly nearing a return from the fractured finger that had kept him out of commission for a month. Now, that return has finally come.
The 23-year-old Swede was a first-round pick at the 2018 draft and has been with the Ducks since the 2018-19 season. Last year was Lundestrom’s best in his young career, as he scored 16 goals and 29 points and cemented himself as a regular face in coach Dallas Eakins’ lineup.
This year, Lundestrom’s offense has dried up, and he has just six points in 24 games. He has remained an important penalty killer in Anaheim, though, and is generally regarded to be more of a defensive player. He’ll head back to the lineup and straight into a prominent role, centering veteran Adam Henrique and All-Star Troy Terry.
For McTavish, this absence due to a lower-body injury is the first in his young NHL career. He’s had an impressive rookie season thus far, often looking like a veteran player despite being just 19 years old. He has scored 27 points in 45 games this season, and could garner some Calder Trophy votes with a hot second half to his season.
As McTavish has been one of the few-and-far-between bright spots to the Ducks’ season, the team is undoubtedly hoping that the injury keeping him out of the lineup tonight is a minor one.
Snapshots: Hurricanes, Zohorna, Gavrikov, Lundestrom
The Hurricanes have been a top team in the Metropolitan Division all season long and have recently welcomed back some key veterans in Max Pacioretty and Frederik Andersen in recent days. Even with their current place atop the Metropolitan Division though, don’t expect them to be shopping at the top of the market before the March 3rd trade deadline. GM Don Waddell told Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman that the team will be looking to add depth both on the back end and up front over the coming weeks. Carolina has a little over $2.2MM in LTIR room per CapFriendly and unlike regular cap space, that doesn’t accrue by the day; they have that much to spend on full-season money now, on deadline day, or anytime in between. Accordingly, they’re in a spot where they don’t have to wait until closer to the deadline for cap reasons so it’s possible that they’ll look to shop for an early bargain on the trade market.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- The frequent shuffling of Radim Zohorna continues as the Flames have returned him to AHL Calgary, notes Flames Nation’s Ryan Pike (Twitter link). The moves are being made to save a little bit of cap space and extend his waiver exemption as long as possible. The 26-year-old has played in eight games with the Flames so far this season with him needing waivers once he gets to ten so his exemption is likely to expire soon, assuming he’s eventually recalled once more.
- The Blue Jackets could get defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov back in their lineup on Thursday against Carolina, relays Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 27-year-old missed Tuesday’s game due to an upper-body injury. The pending unrestricted free agent is likely to be one the more sought-after blueliners leading up to the trade deadline and has nine points and 70 blocked shots in 39 games so far this season while logging 22:29 per game, a career-high.
- Ducks center Isac Lundestrom could be ready to rejoin the team on their next road trip which begins on Monday, reports Eric Stephens of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 23-year-old has been out for more than a month due to a fractured finger and while he was off to a quiet start to his season before the injury (six points in 24 games), getting a developing young player back can only be good for an Anaheim squad that will likely be looking to move out some veterans in the coming weeks.
Anaheim Ducks Activate Max Comtois, Move Isac Lundeström To IR
The Anaheim Ducks placed forward Isac Lundeström on injured reserve Tuesday and activated left wing Max Comtois, according to CapFriendly.
Lundeström suffered a finger injury on December 1, and the team gave him a six-week recovery timeline on Saturday. A capable young bottom-six center, Lundeström had six points in 24 games before the injury, which should see him return to the lineup in mid-January.
If needed for whatever reason, Lundeström is eligible for long-term injured reserve. With the team not needing the salary cap benefits of such a move, though, expect Lundeström to stay on IR until he’s ready to go.
Comtois hasn’t played in nearly a month, last playing in a November 12 loss to Chicago. He missed the following 11 games with a lower-body injury, and he’ll look to build on the four goals he scored pre-injury. Comtois is expected to draw into the lineup tonight when the Ducks host the Carolina Hurricanes.
Isac Lundestrom To Miss Six Weeks
It has been a tough season for Anaheim’s Isac Lundestrom and things just got a little worse for him as the team announced (Twitter link) that the center will miss the next six weeks due to a fractured finger. The injury was sustained during Thursday’s loss to Dallas.
The 23-year-old had a breakout year last season that saw him put up 29 points in 80 games after putting up just 15 over his first three NHL campaigns in limited action. That was enough for Anaheim to hand him a two-year bridge deal this summer, one that carries a cap hit of $1.8MM. However, Lundestrom has struggled through the first quarter of this season as he has just a goal and five assists through 24 games although he is among the team leaders in shorthanded ice time.
While Pavol Regenda is likely to take his place in the lineup for the time being as the only extra forward with the team on their current road trip, Lundestrom’s absence creates an opportunity for Mason McTavish to play down the middle more frequently for the time being. Anaheim has deployed the rookie on the wing at times this season as teams often do with young centers to ease them in but McTavish is anchoring the fourth line this afternoon against Minnesota.
2022 Arbitration Tracker
The dates for the upcoming arbitration hearings have been set, with the first one scheduled for July 27. Hearings will continue through August 11 this year, with that being the busiest day of the schedule. It is important to note that the CBA agreement in 2020 changed the rules for arbitration so that once a hearing begins, teams are no longer allowed to negotiate with the player in question.
The full schedule is:
July 27
Isac Lundestrom (Anaheim Ducks) – Settled: 2 years, $1.8MM AAV
July 29
Jesse Puljujarvi (Edmonton Oilers) – Settled: 1 year, $3.0MM
July 30
Kasperi Kapanen (Pittsburgh Penguins) – Settled: 2 years, $3.2MM AAV
Matthew Phillips (Calgary Flames) – Settled: 1 year, $750K AAV (two-way contract)
August 1
Mathieu Joseph (Ottawa Senators) – Settled: 3 years, $2.95MM AAV
Steven Lorentz (San Jose Sharks) – Settled: 2 years, $1.05MM AAV
August 2
Yakov Trenin (Nashville Predators) – Awarded: 2 years, $1.7MM AAV
August 3
Jesper Bratt (New Jersey Devils) – Settled: 1 year, $5.45MM AAV
August 5
Andrew Mangiapane (Calgary Flames) – Settled: 3 years, $5.8MM AAV
August 6
Miles Wood (New Jersey Devils) – Settled: 1 year, $3.2MM AAV
August 7
Kailer Yamamoto (Edmonton Oilers) – Settled: 2 years, $3.1MM AAV
August 8
Ethan Bear (Carolina Hurricanes) – Settled: 1 year, $2.2MM
Lawson Crouse (Arizona Coyotes) – Settled: 5 years, $4.3MM AAV
Zack MacEwen (Philadelphia Flyers) – Settled: 1 year, $925K
August 9
Maxime Lajoie (Carolina Hurricanes) – Settled: 1 year, $750K (two-way contract)
August 10
Keegan Kolesar (Vegas Golden Knights) – Settled: 3 years, $1.4MM AAV
Oliver Kylington (Calgary Flames) – Settled: 2 years, $2.5MM AAV
August 11
Mason Appleton (Winnipeg Jets) – Settled: 3 years, $2.167MM AAV
Morgan Geekie (Seattle Kraken) – Settled: 1 year, $1.4MM AAV
Tyce Thompson (New Jersey Devils) – Settled: 2 years, $762.5K AAV (partial two-way)
Matthew Tkachuk (Florida Panthers) – Settled: 8 years, $9.5MM AAV
Jake Walman (Detroit Red Wings) – Settled: 1 year, $1.05MM
Pavel Zacha (Boston Bruins) – Settled: 1 year, $3.5MM
Anaheim Ducks Sign Isac Lundestrom
The Anaheim Ducks have avoided arbitration with restricted free agent Isac Lundestrom, reaching a two-year agreement worth a total of $3.6MM. Lundestrom was scheduled for the first arbitration hearing of the summer on Wednesday and would have had to file salary figures later today. That hearing will no longer be required.
While everyone was watching Trevor Zegras, Troy Terry, and Jamie Drysdale in Anaheim this year, Lundestrom quietly had a strong season in his own right. He actually ranked fourth on the team in goals with 16 despite tough defensive deployment and showed he could be a real difference-maker on the penalty kill. His four short-handed tallies trailed only Alex Formenton and Trevor Moore (who both had five) for the league lead, and his other 12 goals all came at even-strength.
In more than 1,000 even-strength minutes, Lundestrom was on the ice for only 43 goals against despite starting just 135 of his nearly 1,500 shifts in the offensive zone. With Ryan Strome joining the team in free agency, it appears as though the 22-year-old will stay in that defensive role, for the time being, giving the Ducks a rather deep group down the middle.
At a $1.8MM cap hit, there is a real opportunity for some surplus value in this case too, especially if his knack for goal scoring continues. It also gives the team a chance to sign him to a longer deal down the road, as he’ll still be a restricted free agent at its expiry.
The Ducks don’t have many long-term commitments at this point, with only Strome, Cam Fowler, Frank Vatrano, and John Gibson signed to one-way contracts through 2024-25. With Zegras, Terry, and Drysdale now eligible for extensions, that could be changing soon. Getting Lundestrom locked in at a relatively low price will give the team a little more understanding of how much they have to work with next season.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet broke the news on Twitter.
24 Players Elect Salary Arbitration
The National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) announced that 24 players have filed for player-elected salary arbitration, the deadline for which came this afternoon. This list is not necessarily the final and complete list of players headed for arbitration, with clubs now eligible to elect salary arbitration until tomorrow, July 18th at 5:00 pm ET.
Mason Appleton (WPG)
Ethan Bear (CAR)
Jesper Bratt (NJD)
Lawson Crouse (ARI)
Morgan Geekie (SEA)
Mathieu Joseph (OTT)
Kaapo Kahkonen (SJS)
Kasperi Kapanen (PIT)
Keegan Kolesar (VGK)
Oliver Kylington (CGY)
Maxime Lajoie (CAR)
Steven Lorentz (SJS)
Isac Lundestrom (ANA)
Zack MacEwen (PHI)
Niko Mikkola (STL)
Andrew Mangiapane (CGY)
Matthew Phillips (CGY)
Jesse Puljujarvi (EDM)
Tyce Thompson (NJD)
Yakov Trenin (NSH)
Vitek Vanecek (NJD)
Jake Walman (DET)
Kailer Yamamoto (EDM)
Pavel Zacha (BOS)
Notably out of this list, Mikkola had previously filed for arbitration, but the two sides were able to settle on a one-year, $1.9MM contract that will leave the defenseman an UFA after next season.
A key distinction to add is that any player who has filed for arbitration is no longer eligible to sign an offer sheet, effectively taking the players on this list off the market. Three notable names that did not file for arbitration are Winnipeg Jets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois, Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk and Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine. Though contract talks have been quiet on Dubois and Tkachuck, word of amicable discussions between Laine’s camp and Columbus has been made known. Once tomorrow’s club-elected salary arbitration deadline passes, teams and players will have time to prepare their cases before hearings begin, running from July 27th through August 11th.
Sam Steel, Isac Lundestrom Re-Sign With Anaheim Ducks
Another group of players has accepted their qualifying offer today, as Sam Steel and Isac Lundestrom will stay with the Anaheim Ducks organization for at least one more season. CapFriendly reports the one-year, two-way deals are both worth $874,125 at the NHL level and $70,000 at the minor league level.
Steel’s had trouble converting on his potential at the NHL level so far in his young career. Still 23 years old, Steel’s scored exactly six goals in each of his three NHL seasons. 45 points in 129 career games aren’t exactly concerning, but Steel’s really struggled defensively at times, especially this past season. Those defensive struggles led to the lowest usage of his career this season, as he was playing just 14:32 per game. There’s still plenty of track left for the 2016 30th overall pick, though, and he’ll attempt to push for an elevated role with the Ducks next season.
Lundestrom is in a similar situation, except he’s younger and has less NHL experience. The lack of a true breakout from either player is likely a contributing factor to the matching deals. Lundestrom’s tallied just 15 points in 71 career games, though, including his first career NHL goal this season. Drafted 23rd overall in 2018, Lundestrom’s still shown flashes of potential and reliability at the NHL level. He’ll likely push for a spot in Anaheim’s top-six forward group next season and develop further into the two-way forward the team expects him to be.