Ducks evening news: an eventful 24 hours

To say that the Anaheim Ducks had an eventful 24 hours, would be an understatement. Yesterday, the Ducks made a minor trade, were dealt some discouraging injury news to a key player and secured their second win in a row, against a Pacific Division rival in a color rush game.

The Ducks traded for Jeffrey Viel

The Anaheim Ducks traded a 2026 fourth-round pick to the Boston Bruins, in exchange for Jeffrey Viel, per an announcement from the team. Viel is in the second year of a $1.55 million contract and has not played in an NHL game, since December 20th. With no points in ten games this season and only averaging 9:30 of ice time, this trade does not move the needle whatsoever. Maybe Viel can crack the lineup, if Ross Johnston gets injured, as Viel does have a knack for fighting. But in the grand scheme of this season, the trade is a minor move, at best.

Leo Carlsson injury

More concerning, however, was the announcement that Carlsson would miss the next 3-5 weeks due to an injury. Not only is Carlsson one of the most important skaters for the Ducks, but he also still leads the team in points with 44, despite missing the last two games. He was all but penciled in as the number one center for Team Sweden in the upcoming Winter Olympics. Carlsson possibly sustained the injury against the Columbus Blue Jackets on December 20th and missed the next game against the Seattle Kraken on December 22nd. Carlsson played in almost every game, up until this injury announcement and the sudden drop in his production helps illustrate how debilitating the injury actually was.

While fans may have thought that teams had wizened up to how Carlsson attacked up ice through the neutral zone, and started defending him accordingly, thus the drop in his offensive production; the injury news shed new light onto his offensive struggles. Clearly, Carlsson has not been at full power with the injury and with only one good leg, fans can now see why he has struggled to produce in recent weeks.

Ducks versus Kings, episode three, part one

The Ducks played against the Kings in Los Angeles, in a color rush matchup. And despite missing the aforementioned injured Carlsson and Troy Terry, the Ducks secured a much needed second win a row, by a final score of 3-2.

Stick taps to Tim Washe for getting his first NHL goal.

And to Mason McTavish. for securing the win.

Unfortunately, the Freeway Faceoff series ends tonight, as the Ducks host the Kings at Honda Center for episode three, part two. Here's to hoping that the Ducks can secure the final win of the regular season rivalry.