Anaheim Ducks forward Leo Carlsson will miss the next 3-5 weeks of action after undergoing surgery on his left thigh to treat a Morel-Lavallee lesion.
Carlsson underwent the procedure Friday night in Los Angeles and is expected to make a full recovery. However, the timeline creates concerns about his availability for team Sweden at the upcoming Olympic Games in Italy.
“I haven’t heard exactly how he’s doing right now, but I’m sure he’s in the situation where he’s going through the process and the procedure that he went through,” Anaheim coach Joel Quenneville said Friday night. “We wish him nothing but the best, and then have a great recovery and come back and help us out.”
The 21 year old was named to Sweden’s men’s hockey roster in Milan-Cortina, but with the Winter Games set to kick off in a little over 3 weeks, it’s unclear how far along his recovery Carlsson will be. Currently leading the Ducks in scoring with 44 points (18G, 26A) in 44 games this season, Carlsson was expected to play a prominent role for the Swedes as they look to return to the podium for the first time since the 2014 games in Sochi.
Head coach Sam Hallam will need to monitor the situation closely with program director Anders Lundberg to determine whether a replacement will need to be named prior to the tournament kicking off. The Swedish side kicks off their Olympic pool play against Italy on February 11th.
Photo: Pwinger. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.