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John Klingberg Out With Lower-Body Injury

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The Anaheim Ducks have announced that defenseman John Klingberg is out with a lower-body injury. There was no word on whether his status was considered day-to-day or something longer, though the team noted that Nathan Beaulieu would be drawing into the lineup in Klingberg’s place. While this development won’t have any impact on the Ducks’ long-gone playoff hopes, it could have an impact on the trade deadline. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman notes that this is not an instance of a team holding a player out of the lineup for trade-related reasons, as we have seen teams do with other blueliners such as Jakob Chychrun and Vladislav Gavrikov.

While Klingberg, 30, has had a nightmarish season in Anaheim (22 points in 48 games, down in scoring pace from 47 in 74 last season) he’s still a well-regarded offensive defenseman. Just last summer he earned a $7MM one-year deal, and it’s likely that there would be teams interested in acquiring him at the deadline. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta links Klingberg with the Edmonton Oilers’ search for defensive help at the deadline, and it’s likely that there would be more than just Edmonton looking to add him to their team. Assuming that’s the case, interested teams will likely want to monitor his health status closely due to this news. In addition to Klingberg, the Ducks also announced that Adam Henrique would be leaving the game with an injury, which could be another injury development with trade deadline implications.

Dmitry Kulikov Expected To Draw Trade Interest

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  • Calls inquiring on the trade availability of Anaheim Ducks defenseman Dmitry Kulikov are poised to increase sharply as the market for Columbus Blue Jackets blueliner Vladislav Gavrikov tightens. Marek noted on 32 Thoughts to “expect attention” to be paid to Kulikov by teams who miss out on Gavrikov. Kulikov, 32, is a steady left-shot defenseman who plays a solid defensive game and is currently the Ducks’ leader in penalty-killing ice time. He’s on an expiring $2.25MM AAV deal, and one would expect that the Ducks, with over $60MM in projected deadline cap space per CapFriendly, would have no issue retaining salary to make a deal work.

Ducks Prospect Henry Thrun To Test Free Agency

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The Ducks will soon be losing a promising prospect as GM Pat Verbeek confirmed to Lisa Dillman of the Orange County Register that defenseman Henry Thrun will not sign with the team and instead intends to go to free agency this summer.

The 21-year-old was a fourth-round pick by Anaheim back in 2019 (101st overall) and has vastly outperformed his draft stock since then.  He’s averaging a point per game so far this season with Harvard and has 77 points in 90 games in his three years at the NCAA level, numbers that are well above average for a defender.

Anaheim has a very strong defensive pipeline with youngster Jamie Drysdale already in the NHL along with 2021 second-round pick Olen Zellweger, Pavel Mintyukov, who went 10th overall last summer, Drew Helleson, acquired from Colorado in the Josh Manson trade last season, and Jackson LaCombe, who recently indicated that he will sign once his college season ends.  Accordingly, it appears Thrun feels his best path to try to earn a spot in the NHL will be somewhere else.

He’s not the first Harvard player that has gone this route or at least threatened to do so.  Jimmy Vesey and Alex Kerfoot ultimately tested the market while Adam Fox and John Marino were eventually traded and signed with their new team (although it took two trades for Fox to do so).  It’s possible that Verbeek, now knowing he won’t be able to sign Thrun, will look to trade his rights elsewhere in the hopes of at least salvaging some sort of return while the acquiring team would hope to convince Thrun to sign, allowing them to add a quality prospect for a below-market return.

John Klingberg Misses Vegas Game Due To Illness

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  • The Ducks announced (Twitter link) prior to their game against Vegas that defenseman John Klingberg was scratched due to illness. The veteran has been a bit more productive lately, picking up nine points in 15 games in 2023 but has still underwhelmed with 20 points in 45 games on the season.  Klingberg is a pending unrestricted free agent with a $7MM AAV and is widely expected to be traded over the next few weeks.

Ducks Recall Lukas Dostal

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The Ducks have decided to swap out their backup goaltenders, announcing that they’ve recalled Lukas Dostal from San Diego of the AHL.  In a corresponding move, Olle Eriksson Ek was returned to the Gulls.

Dostal got into seven games with Anaheim on his first recall earlier this season, posting a 3.53 GAA along with a team-high .909 SV%.  The 22-year-old has spent the bulk of the year in the minors, playing in 34 contests with San Diego where he has a 2.97 GAA with a .912 SV%, earning himself an appearance at the AHL All-Star game which was earlier this week.

As for Eriksson Ek, he backed up John Gibson last night with Anthony Stolarz dealing with a lower-body injury that has him listed as day-to-day.  The 23-year-old has yet to make an NHL appearance and has struggled considerably in the minors this season with a 4.79 GAA and a .851 SV% in 13 games, numbers that are significantly worse than his first three seasons in North America.

Troy Terry Placed On Injured Reserve

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After playing just three shifts before exiting Monday’s game against the Dallas Stars, Troy Terry has been placed on injured reserve. The Anaheim Ducks forward is dealing with an upper-body injury and missed Tuesday’s match against the Chicago Blackhawks. In his roster spot, the Ducks have recalled goaltender Olle Eriksson Ek from the AHL.

With Anthony Stolarz listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury Eriksson Ek will likely serve as John Gibson’s backup tonight. The young netminder has never appeared in an NHL game and has an .851 save percentage in 13 games for the San Diego Gulls this season.

Terry, meanwhile, has been excellent once again, racking up 42 points through 51 games to earn a trip to the All-Star game. The 25-year-old now has 109 points in 126 games over his last two seasons, experiencing a true breakout after some middling performances early in his career.

For a contending team, removing that from the lineup would be devastating. For the Ducks, it might realistically be a good thing. Anaheim is 5-1-1 in their last seven games, the opposite of what they want to accomplish this season. They have pulled within three points of the San Jose Sharks in the Pacific Division race and are now well ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets in the race for the top draft lottery position.

It could be good for the Ducks on a different level, too. Terry is an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent at the end of the year, and with the excellent point totals he has recently put up, he will be looking for a huge raise on his current $1.45MM cap hit. Some time out of the lineup will help the Ducks in those negotiations, even if they want to be icing their young star as much as possible.

Jackson LaCombe Commits To Signing With Anaheim

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  • With Ducks prospect Jackson LaCombe playing in his final college season, some wondered if the defenseman might opt to not sign with Anaheim and instead go to free agency in the summer. However, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in his latest 32 Thoughts column, that won’t be the case as the 22-year-old has indicated to the team that he will sign at the end of his season at Minnesota.  LaCombe is averaging just shy of a point per game this season with 26 in 28 contests, helping him earn a nomination for the Hobey Baker Award.

Trade Deadline Primer: Anaheim Ducks

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With the All-Star break now upon us, the trade deadline looms large and is just over a month away. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make? We begin our look around the league with the Anaheim Ducks.

It’s another lost season for the Ducks, who have been out of it since the summer. Last year, the team shed long-time core pieces like Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson, and Rickard Rakell, and they’re poised to do a similar sell-off this time around.

With the ultimate prize of Connor Bedard waiting for whoever wins the lottery, losing every game down the stretch might actually be an ideal scenario. You might see some shocking lineups in Anaheim before the season is over.

Record

16-29-5, 8th in the Pacific

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$36.29MM today, $61.34MM in full-season space, 0/3 retention slots used, 47/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2023: ANA 1st, ANA 2nd, BOS 2nd, COL 2nd, ANA 3rd, MIN 3rd, ANA 4th, ANA 5th, ANA 6th
2024: ANA 1st, ANA 2nd, BOS 2nd, ANA 3rd, ANA 4th, ANA 5th, ANA 6th, ANA 7th

Trade Chips

More than anything else, the Ducks have cap space. They can easily take on some bad contracts, or act as the middleman in a salary retention transaction to secure a few more assets.

But player-wise, they still have a number of interesting chips.

It starts with John Klingberg, who signed a one-year deal in the offseason with the expectation of a move at the deadline. The two sides even built in a no-trade clause that would modify in the middle of the year, giving him the ability to list 10 teams he’s willing to go to. The problem is that Klingberg has played rather poorly, has just 17 points in 42 games, and still carries a hefty cap hit even if the Ducks retain half of it.

Klingberg may not get the return that the Ducks had hoped for when they agreed to the one-year, $7MM deal, but he does still seem likely to be moved at some point. Fellow right-handed defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk is also a pending free agent, as is Dmitry Kulikov. They play very different styles but could be of use to contenders looking to beef up their defensive depth.

Upfront, attention will certainly be paid to Adam Henrique and Jakob Silfverberg, who both are signed through next season. The veteran forwards are versatile enough to help out a third line, and cheap enough (with retention) that they could be attractive targets.

But don’t forget about some of the younger forwards too. Max Comtois is a pending RFA and has fallen out of favor in Anaheim, playing fewer than 14 minutes a night this season. The 6’2″ winger plays a greasy game that might have a home in the playoffs, even if his offense has almost completely dried up over the last two years.

Even Anthony Stolarz, who has struggled behind a terrible team this season, could be a potential depth goaltending target for teams looking at bringing in a third option. The 29-year-old did post a .917 save percentage last season and is on an expiring deal worth just $950K. With Lukas Dostal the future in Anaheim, and John Gibson still locked up long-term, Stolarz probably doesn’t have much of a future with the Ducks.

Other potential trade chips: F Derek Grant, F Frank Vatrano, D Nathan Beaulieu

Team Needs

1) Draft picks: The Ducks are still years away from becoming a successful program again, even with the young talented forwards already in the NHL. Adding a bunch of draft picks – especially ones for 2023 – will help accelerate that transition. Basically, anyone that’s on an expiring contract should be shown the door, for whatever mid or late-round draft capital they can acquire.

2) Young centers: Last season, the Ducks acquired defensive prospect Drew Helleson, and young defenseman Urho Vaakanainen in deadline deals. This year, they should be looking to make the same kind of move with the middle of the ice in mind. It’s not that the cupboard is bare at the center – far from it – but building from there will only help them in the long run, even if they need to shift players over at the NHL level.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Injury Notes: Bennett, Jarry, Golden Knights, Backstrom, Klingberg

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Unfortunately, there’s a lot of minor injury news to report from tonight’s games. We start in Florida, where head coach Paul Maurice said pregame that Sam Bennett wouldn’t be in the lineup when they take on the Penguins tonight.

Bennett took an awkward fall in yesterday night’s loss to the Rangers, immediately leaving the game and staying in the room through the first intermission. It didn’t hold him out of the rest of the game, however, as he would later return. While he won’t suit up tonight, it does seem to be a short-term absence for Bennett, who’s been in and out of the lineup over the past month with some minor injury concerns. Eetu Luostarinen, who’s impressed with 10 goals and 22 points in 49 games this year, slides into the top six with Bennett out.

  • After leaving injured reserve a few days ago, Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry is back out of the lineup with an injury. His absence leaves both Pittsburgh and Florida without backup goalies on the bench for tonight’s game, as Spencer Knight was unexpectedly still unable to play and was a late absence from the Florida lineup. It’s hopefully a short-term absence for Jarry, who’s been spectacular with a .921 save percentage in 27 appearances for the Penguins this year.
  • There’s some positive news on Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone, says ESPN’s Emily Kaplan. While he’ll be out through the All-Star break as expected, his back issue is different than the one that plagued him throughout last season, greatly reducing the likelihood of his long-term career being affected. Kaplan also says defenseman Shea Theodore, who’s been out since early December with an undisclosed injury, is an option for Friday’s game against the Rangers.
  • Days after returning from significant hip surgery recovery, Nicklas Backstrom is back out of the Washington Capitals lineup with a non-COVID illness and is day-to-day. The 35-year-old has three assists in seven games since returning to the lineup.
  • The Anaheim Ducks will also be down a player due to illness: defenseman John Klingberg. 25-year-old call-up Colton White moves into Anaheim’s top-four in Klingberg’s absence, playing on his off-side. Klingberg has just 15 points in 40 games this season, a career-low as he’s destined for free agency once again this offseason.

Anaheim Ducks Activate Isac Lundestrom

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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.

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