- The Ducks announced (Twitter link) that center Leo Carlsson was cleared to return from his concussion tonight against St. Louis. The rookie had missed eight straight games because of it. Between injuries and early-season load management, Carlsson has been limited to just 40 games so far this season but he has played well, picking up nine goals and 14 assists in those contests.
Ducks Rumors
Upper-Body Injury For Gudas, Lower-Body Injury For McTavish
Prior to their game tonight against Winnipeg, the Ducks announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Radko Gudas was out with an upper-body injury while center Mason McTavish was out with a lower-body issue. Gudas was injured early in Thursday’s contest against Minnesota while McTavish made it through the game. Gudas is averaging 19:24 per night in his first year on Anaheim’s back end, his highest ATOI since the 2015-16 season, his first in Philadelphia. McTavish, meanwhile, has had a strong sophomore year with 40 points in 56 games so far, good for fourth on team scoring. There’s word for how long either player will be out for. Notably, Anaheim could only dress 11 forwards so if McTavish is to miss any time beyond tonight’s action, a recall will likely be coming from AHL San Diego.
Anaheim Ducks Recall Pavol Regenda
- The Anaheim Ducks have recalled forward Pavol Regenda from their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, per a team announcement. It will be the second call-up for Regenda this season, with the first one coming less than a week ago before the trade deadline. In his only game with the Ducks on the year, Regenda played over 12 minutes of that game but was unable to put any points on the scoreboard.
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Leo Carlsson Expected To Return Thursday
- Ducks rookie center Leo Carlsson is set to return to the lineup for Thursday’s game in Minnesota, meaning he’ll miss a sixth straight game with a concussion when they take on Chicago tomorrow, GM Pat Verbeek said. Carlsson, 19, has settled nicely into NHL work after being selected second overall in the 2023 draft and is already the Ducks’ best two-way center by the numbers. His concussion, a right MCL sprain, and an early-season load-management plan have limited him to 40 games on the year and likely pushed him out of Calder Trophy consideration. Still, he’s posted decent secondary scoring numbers with nine goals and 23 assists while ranking second among qualified Ducks skaters with a 51.6 CF% and a team-high +1.7 expected rating. The Ducks, again in the draft lottery conversation with 49 points, have gone 2-3-0 without Carlsson in this latest stretch and have conceded six goals in back-to-back games.
Ducks Claim William Lagesson Off Waivers From Maple Leafs
The Ducks have claimed defenseman William Lagesson off waivers from the Maple Leafs, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports.
Lagesson has served as one of many depth defenders to fill in for injured Leafs this season, playing in 30 NHL games and recording four assists, 19 penalty minutes, and a +5. He’s still searching for his first NHL goal, failing to score in any of the 90 games he’s played, dating back to the 2019-20 season when he made his debut with the Edmonton Oilers. In fact, Lagesson hasn’t scored a goal in any of his last five seasons – save for a scoring explosion with the Chicago Wolves last year, when he managed a career-high 10 goals and 32 points in 65 games. But outside of that burst, Lagesson’s role has largely been on the defensive side of the puck, with his long reach and control along the boards helping to control transition up and down the ice.
The Ducks will likely lean on Lagesson as extra defensive depth behind current seventh-defenseman Jackson LaCombe, who has one goal and 12 points in the first 54 games of his career. Anaheim has seen a rotating door of defensemen this season, leaning on eight different blue-liners despite not bearing with substantial injuries. Their defense corp is also incredibly young, with rookies Olen Zellweger, Pavel Mintyukov, and LaCombe all earning routine roles.
Ducks Acquire Ben Meyers
The Ducks have acquired forward Ben Meyers from the Avalanche in exchange for a 2024 fifth-round pick, per a team announcement. Meyers, who was on assignment to AHL Colorado, will report to the Ducks’ NHL roster.
Meyers has seen limited NHL action over the past three years, logging five games in 2021-22 after signing as an undrafted free agent, 39 games in 2022-23, and just nine games this season. The former University of Minnesota star center has spent most of this year with the Avs’ AHL squad, last suiting up for an NHL game in early January. He’s signed to a one-year, one-way deal worth $775K and had six goals and a -10 rating across 53 career games in Colorado.
The trade has no salary cap ramifications for the Avs since he was not on the active roster. This is purely a pickup of a potential mid-ceiling player who’s failed to adjust to the NHL by Anaheim, who will give Meyers some runway in their bottom six as they close out another rebuilding season. He will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer.
Canadiens, Ducks Swap Jan Mysak For Jacob Perreault
The Canadiens and Ducks have exchanged forward prospects Jan Mysak and Jacob Perreault, both teams announced. It’s a one-for-one swap of U-22 prospects whose development has stalled with their respective minor-league clubs.
Perreault, 21, is a Montreal native and was a first-round pick of the Ducks in 2020 after scoring 39 goals and 70 points in 59 games with the OHL’s Sarnia Sting. Concerningly, his production has declined after a strong rookie season with AHL San Diego in 2020-21 (17 points in 27 games), and he’s tallied seven goals and 18 points in 31 games this season with a -3 rating. He made his NHL debut in January 2022 but has not seen major league action since.
The son of former Canadien Yanic Perreault and the older brother of Rangers prospect Gabe Perreault, Jacob is a natural right-winger. He still has one season remaining on his entry-level contract with a cap hit of $863.3K, so he won’t be a restricted free agent until the summer of 2025.
Unlike Perreault, Mysak can shift to center. The 21-year-old Czech forward was a second-round pick by Montreal in 2020 and had the rare experience of immediately playing pro hockey. Despite being drafted out of a Canadian junior league, he was permitted to suit up for the AHL’s Laval Rocket in 2020-21 because the OHL had paused game action due to COVID. There, he notched two goals in 22 games before returning to the OHL the following year, where he tallied 34 goals and 64 points in 61 games with the Hamilton Bulldogs en route to a Memorial Cup appearance. He’s on an opposite trajectory to Perreault – slowly heating up in the minors with 20 points in 48 games for AHL Laval this year after recording just nine in 40 games last season.
Mysak is also in the second season of his entry-level deal and will be an RFA in 2025. His cap hit is slightly lower at $828.3K, but as both players are assigned to the minors at the time of the trade, the swap has no salary cap impact for either team.
Anaheim Ducks Recall Pavol Regenda, Glenn Gawdin
After trading away Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick to the Edmonton Oilers earlier today, the Anaheim Ducks had two roster spots up front that needed to be filled. To solve the problem, the team has recalled Pavol Regenda and Glenn Gawdin from their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls.
With both Regenda and Gawdin serving as offensive depth options for the organization, neither has played in an NHL game yet this season. Lining up in a contest against the Ottawa Senators tonight, both will likely make their season debut.
Signed out of Slovakia last year, Regenda has been more than solid at the AHL level. Factoring in a 13-goal, 29-point performance in 38 games for the Gulls this season, Regenda has scored 29 goals and 54 points in 88 total games over his short minor-league career. Even though he is already 24 years old, Regenda has every opportunity to be a main piece in Anaheim’s middle-six next year.
As more of a veteran presence, Gawdin is very similar to Regenda as far as production. With limited experience at the NHL level playing for the Ducks and the Calgary Flames, Gawdin has been much more productive in the AHL. With over 300 games played over the last six seasons, Gawdin has scored 80 goals and 221 points in total, making him one of the more consistent offensive threats in the minors.
Edmonton Oilers Acquire Adam Henrique, Sam Carrick
2:31 pm: The Ducks have made the trade official per a team announcement.
12:23 pm: The Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks are working on a trade that will send both Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick to Alberta. With the full trade details before either team has confirmed, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period is reporting that Anaheim will acquire a 2024 first-round selection as well as a conditional 2025 fifth-round selection that can be upgraded to a fourth-round pick if the Oilers win the Stanley Cup.
Although the Ducks are already retaining 50% of Henrique’s salary in the deal, the Tampa Bay Lightning were also brought in to retain 25% of the salary as well, earning a conditional 2025 fourth-round pick from the Oilers in the process. Aside from Henrique and Carrick, Edmonton will also be acquiring Tampa Bay’s 2024 seventh-round selection and goaltender Ty Taylor, who is currently rostered on the Evansville Thunderbolts of the SPHL.
Further reporting has indicated that Anaheim will be retaining 50% of Carrick’s contract as well, bringing his total salary with Edmonton down to $425K for the remainder of the season. Because the Ducks retained money on both players, they no longer have any retention spots available for any remaining trades they may make leading up to the deadline.
With Henrique now in the mix, Edmonton will have the opportunity to get creative in their top six. Understandably, they will likely keep their first line together heading into the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs but now can move either Evander Kane or Mattias Janmark around the lineup to create a more balanced offensive approach. 
Speaking of balance, that is exactly what Henrique brings to the table for the Oilers as one of the more consistent two-way forwards in the NHL. Formidable offensively, Henrique has scored 18 goals and 42 points in 60 games for the Ducks this season but also boasts a 52.9% faceoff win rate.
Aside from helping out both offensively and defensively at even strength, Henrique should also be able to improve the Oilers’ pedestrian penalty-kill percentage this year. Centering Anaheim’s top penalty kill unit for much of his tenure in California, Henrique should be able to slide next to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the team’s top penalty kill unit or be the focal point of the team’s second unit.
Carrick, on the other hand, gives the Oilers an upgrade to a portion of the offensive unit they have been craving for much of the season. Experimenting with Connor Brown and Adam Erne on the team’s fourth line, Carrick gives Edmonton a more bona fide player to utilize in that role.
In 61 games for Anaheim this season, Carrick has scored eight goals and 11 points in total as well as throwing 137 hits against his opponents. Carrick has mostly played down the middle for the Ducks this season but does give the Oilers some flexibility to move Dylan Holloway to the wing on the bottom line.
With the inclusion of a first-round pick going to Anaheim in this deal, General Manager Pat Verbeek has added yet another top selection for the 2024 NHL Draft, with the Ducks now having seven total selections in the first three rounds of this upcoming summer’s draft. With 11 picks in total for 2024, the Ducks will now have added 20 new players to the organization via the draft in the last two years alone.
In Tampa Bay, even by retaining a total of $1.45MM of Henrique’s salary, they will still have plenty of cap maneuverability to make a big splash come deadline day. Essentially purchasing a later-round pick from the Oilers, the Lightning could use this extra draft selection as a sweetener of their own in a few days.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports images.
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun was the first to report trade talks heating up between Edmonton and Anaheim.
The Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli was the first to report the trade had been completed.
TSN’s Chris Johnston was the first to report that draft picks would be headed to Anaheim.
Anaheim Ducks Send Down Alex Stalock
- The Anaheim Ducks have reassigned goaltender Alex Stalock to their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, per a team announcement. Even with this transaction marking the fourth time that Stalock has been brought up to the NHL level this year, he has yet to suit up in a game for Anaheim. At the AHL level, Stalock has appeared in 11 contests for the Gulls, earning a 1-9-1 record with a .892 SV%.
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