Anaheim could be getting Drew Helleson back sooner rather than later.
Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville told reporters on Friday, including Derek Lee of The Hockey News, that the 25-year-old defenseman will travel with the team on its weekend road trip. The hope is that Helleson can get into the lineup Saturday against the Calgary Flames after missing the start of the regular season with a lower-body injury.
That would be a welcome development for a player who is heading into his third season as a full-time piece of Anaheim’s NHL roster. Helleson is also at an important point in his contract timeline, with RFA eligibility coming next summer and UFA status the year after that.
He has settled in as a third-pairing defensive stopper at the NHL level, and 2026-27 looks like a key year in showing where he fits long term. Last season, Helleson put up 15 points in 60 games while averaging 16:57 of ice time per night, including 1:29 on the penalty kill.
Quenneville also had an update on another Ducks defenseman, and this one was less encouraging. Ian Moore is still “a little bit away” from being healthy enough to come off injured reserve. Anaheim said Moore suffered a lower-body injury on Sept. 18 and originally gave him a two-to-four-week recovery window.
Elsewhere in the West, Dallas Stars forward Joel Kiviranta will stay home for the team’s upcoming road trip after getting hurt while blocking a shot, according to Sam Nestler of DLLS Sports. Head coach Glen Gulutzan said the expectation is that Kiviranta will miss around a week. If that stretches to a week or more, the Stars could place him on injured reserve to create a roster spot.
Kiviranta, 30, returned to Dallas this summer on a one-year, $1MM contract after three seasons with the Colorado Avalanche. He previously played for the Stars from 2019 to 2023 and is still remembered for his Game 7 hat trick during Dallas’ run to the 2020 Stanley Cup Final.
In Other News...
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Jamie Benn adds another layer to the trip, with the longtime captain closing in on a major career milestone as the Stars continue to lean on their veteran core. Buffalo, meanwhile, brings its own momentum into the night, with Owen Power coming off a productive stretch and the Sabres arriving after an overtime win Tuesday, giving this one a little more bite than a standard early-October stop. [Read more 🡒]
Stars Enter Buffalo With One Big Scoring Problem To Watch
The Stars head into Buffalo for the start of a two-game road trip with a little momentum after a much-needed win, but the early part of this season has still left them looking for more punch. Dallas and Buffalo both reached the playoffs last year, yet the Sabres have managed to keep winning despite dealing with injuries to key players, which makes this opener a useful test for a Stars club still trying to settle in after a rough start.
What stands out most for Dallas is the search for first goals from some familiar names, especially Tyler Seguin and Wyatt Johnston. Seguin is back after the ACL injury that ended his season last spring, and Johnston is still waiting to get going as the Stars try to turn a solid recent result into something more stable. The scoring chances have been there in stretches, but the longer the drought lasts, the more attention it draws on a trip where every point can matter. [Read more 🡒]