Ducks’ Rookie Standout Leo Carlsson Suffers Gruesome Injury in Loss to Flames
The holidays have likely become far less enjoyable for the Anaheim Ducks, with rookie sensation Leo Carlsson exiting early due to injury during Thursday’s 3-0 shutout loss to the Calgary Flames.
Carlsson left with an apparent ailment midway through the final frame after getting tangled up with Flames defenceman MacKenzie Weegar along the boards, causing the veteran blueliner to fall awkwardly on the 18-year-old forward’s right leg.
The second-overall selection from last summer’s draft dropped immediately to the ice while in immense pain, remaining there for several moments before requiring assistance down the tunnel toward Anaheim’s dressing room. He didn’t appear to put any weight on his injured leg.
Prior to departing, Carlsson registered a pair of shots on goal and earned two penalty minutes over 14:04 minutes of ice time – his second-lowest total of the season. He also won six of his 10 face-offs on the night.
While bracing for the worst, the Ducks are sending their promising young star for a full series of tests on Friday to determine the severity of his injury before deciding on next steps.
“You could see it when Weegar fell on him, in any sport, when that happens, it’s not good. So, I’ll leave that to the medical staff,” Ducks head coach Greg Cronin said post-game.
Anaheim has been cautious with Carlsson’s workload this season, as both sides agreed to a load management approach, with the talented centre playing just two games a week across the first two months.
That strategy, pitched by Ducks GM Pat Verbeek, was designed to prevent Carlsson from burning out in the second half and allow him to work on his strength and conditioning. Despite a two-game absence early on due to a lower-body injury, it had been paying off quite well for everyone involved.
In 23 games, Carlsson has notched eight goals and 15 points while averaging 18:03 per night across his first NHL season. He ranks fourth in goals league-wide among rookie skaters, trailing only Adam Fantilli (nine), Marco Rossi (11) and Connor Bedard (12).
Following this strong start, the Ducks had recently cleared the 6-foot-3 lefty to increase his schedule to three games per week, as TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported earlier this week. Additionally, the team planned for him to participate in every remaining contest from mid-January onward.
With Carlsson’s health now uncertain, any future plans will remain in limbo until his status is determined. It appears unlikely that he’ll be available for the club’s final contest before the holiday break on Saturday versus the Seattle Kraken.
The Karlstad, Sweden, native potted 10 goals and 25 points in 44 games with Orebro of the SHL last season. He was named Swedish Junior Hockey Player of the Year after finishing with the most assists and points in his class.
Amid Anaheim’s rebuilding phase, the franchise has assembled a rich core of young skaters, including Carlsson, Mason McTavish, Troy Terry, Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale. And there are others on the way, too.
But for as much talent as the organization possesses, it has yet to establish a winning on-ice product thus far, as the club sits third worst in the Western Conference with 24 points in 32 games this season.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Doug Kerr. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.