This week’s first half of Anaheim Ducks News & Rumors focuses on Max Jones’ injury and the impact it will have on the team, Alexander Volkov terminating his contract and Ryan Getzlaf closing in on Teemu Selanne for the Ducks’ all-time points leader.
Jones Out 4-6 Months with Torn Pectoral Muscle
Jones left Anaheim’s game against the Calgary Flames during the second period after a net battle with Rasmus Andersson, and went straight to the locker room. Further evaluations revealed the worst. Jones will not play in another NHL game for the remainder of this calendar year, and potentially the rest of the season.
It’s a big blow to the Ducks forward depth, as Jones was expected to play a large role on the fourth line. He’s also capable of playing up and down the lineup, so his versatility will be sorely missed. With Mason McTavish also on IR, this means a larger opportunity for Sam Steel, who scored twice in his season debut last Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers. Sonny Milano also now has a chance to break into the lineup on a more regular basis.
Volkov Terminates Contract
After being cut from training camp, and being a late scratch from the San Diego Gulls’ lineup on Saturday night, the writing looked to be on the wall for Volkov. He and the Ducks mutually agreed to terminate his contract yesterday. The Fourth Period’s Félix Sicard surmised that Volkov may have been one of the players that head coach Dallas Eakins described as being too “vanilla” in their playstyle.
What’s next for Volkov is likely a return to his home country of Russia. The winger originally requested a trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning last season in order to get more playing time (from, ‘Alexander Volkov wanted a chance to play and show what he can do; so far, so good with Ducks’, The Athletic, 04/03/21).
Related: 3 Takeaways From Ducks’ Loss to the Wild: 4th Line, Power Play & Rakell
Though he did get a chance to play in the Ducks’ bottom-six upon his arrival, he wasn’t able to crack the lineup this season and obviously feels that he can find more playing time elsewhere. Those minutes are just more than likely not going to be in North America.
Antoine Morand, whom the Lightning acquired in exchange for Volkov, has been doing quite well in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Syracuse Crunch. However, he likely needed a change of scenery as he never saw this kind of success while playing for the Gulls.
Getzlaf Edges Closer to Selanne
With two assists on Saturday evening against the Minnesota Wild, Getzlaf inched closer to passing Selanne for the Ducks’ all-time points lead. Getzlaf is now just two points away from tying Selanne, and three away from passing him.
Getzlaf has long been the Ducks’ all-time leader in games played, as well as assists, and we’re unlikely to see another Ducks player reach these statistics for a very long time (Trevor Zegras, perhaps?). Getzlaf is the last player from a different era of Ducks hockey with Selanne and Corey Perry both long departed or retired.
Getzlaf re-signed with the Ducks this past offseason, and has the chance to become the first Ducks player to spend a prolonged career and retire with the team. There were hints of doubt about whether he would remain with the Ducks at last season’s trade deadline (‘Knights considered adding Ducks star at trade deadline’, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 04/14/21), and then whether he would return to the team that drafted him when he hit free agency last summer.
Though Getzlaf has said that there was never a doubt that he would return to the one and only team that he’s never played for (‘Ryan Getzlaf and the Ducks find a fit and reunite for one year, but is Jack Eichel still a possibility?’, The Athletic, 07/28/21), the possibility still remains for this season. His one-year deal does include a no movement clause (NMC), so a decision to be moved at any point will be up to him and him alone.
The Ducks return home tonight against the Winnipeg Jets, their third and final matchup of the season against the Jets. Their two-game homestand will be interrupted by a quick trip out to Las Vegas on Friday to face the Vegas Golden Knights, before returning home for a four-game homestand, beginning with a game on Halloween against the Montreal Canadiens. Stay tuned for the second half of Ducks News & Rumors later this week!