The Anaheim Ducks are in a tailspin-and now they’ll have to navigate it without their most dynamic offensive weapon.
At one point this season, the Ducks were sitting pretty atop the Pacific Division, looking like a legitimate threat in the Western Conference. Fast forward a few weeks, and they’ve slipped all the way to sixth in the division. The slide has been steep, and the timing couldn’t be worse: Leo Carlsson, the team’s leading scorer and 2023 second overall pick, is now sidelined for the next few weeks.
Carlsson underwent a procedure in Los Angeles to treat a Morel-Lavallée lesion in his left thigh, the team announced. He’s expected to miss between three to five weeks. It’s a major blow for a Ducks team already struggling to find its footing.
This isn’t just any player going down. Carlsson was making a serious case for MVP consideration early in the season.
He came out of the gates flying, racking up 15 goals and 34 points in the first two months. He was the engine of Anaheim’s offense, a nightly difference-maker who made the Ducks must-watch hockey.
But since December, the production slowed. Carlsson managed just four goals and eight points last month, and his scoring touch seemed to taper off as the team’s fortunes started to dip.
Even so, he still leads the team in scoring-44 points in 44 games-and had just snapped a six-game point drought before the injury. He hasn’t played since January 10th, when Anaheim dropped a game to the Buffalo Sabres.
And the team has felt his absence. The Ducks have lost 11 of their last 13 games, including a brutal nine-game skid that only ended on January 13th. Without Carlsson on the ice, Anaheim’s offense has lacked the spark and creativity that made them such a surprise early in the season.
Now, the Ducks are staring down a tough stretch without their top playmaker. They’re currently facing off against the Los Angeles Kings, with a rematch set for Saturday. That’s a tall order for a team trying to halt its free fall-and doing it without the player who’s been their heartbeat all year.
The next few weeks will be telling. Can Anaheim rally without Carlsson and keep their season from slipping away entirely?
Or will this stretch without their star be the final nail in what started as a promising campaign? One thing’s clear: the Ducks are going to need someone-anyone-to step up and fill the void.