The tough times have continued into 2023 for the Anaheim Ducks as they closed out their franchise-record 10-game homestand on a three-game losing streak. They have mustered just five goals in those three games while conceding 19. They currently sit 30th overall in the standings 43 games into the season.
Bruins Batter Ducks in Lindholm’s Return
Hampus Lindholm returned to Honda Center on Jan. 8 for the first time since being traded to the Boston Bruins last season and had quite the homecoming. His new team was victorious over his old one by a score of 7-1, with Lindholm himself even getting in on the action with a goal of his own.
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The deal has benefited the Bruins well, as Lindholm held down the No. 1 defenseman spot with ease at the beginning of this season while Charlie McAvoy was out with injury. It will take a while to see how much the Ducks benefit from the deal they made with two of the draft picks they received yet to be selected.
Kirkland Okay After Car Accident
A scary moment for the Ducks occurred when forward Justin Kirkland was involved in a car accident while driving to their game against the Bruins. Kirkland was in the hospital for less than 48 hours and was released prior to their game against the Edmonton Oilers. He was subsequently placed on injured reserve and is now resting at home.
Ducks Want First-Round Pick for Klingberg
The Ducks are looking for a first-round pick in exchange for defenseman John Klingberg—who is an unrestricted free agent this summer—according to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun (from, ‘LeBrun: Latest trade rumblings on Oilers, Erik Karlsson, Jakob Chychrun, Ivan Provorov and more,’ The Athletic, 01/10/23).
Klingberg has been a massive disappointment for the Ducks after signing a one-year, $7 million deal this past offseason. He has just 13 points in 36 games and his minus-23 rating is tied for second-worst on the team.
A first-round pick may be an unreasonable ask at this point in the season, but we’ve seen in the past that teams are willing to pony up the resources necessary if they feel an addition to the team can really help their chances at winning the Cup.
Jones Returns from Injury
Max Jones returned from an upper-body ailment that kept him out for a month on Jan. 11, playing 13:24 in a 6-2 loss to the Oilers. Jones skated alongside Jayson Megna and Brett Leason on the fourth line and even got some time on the power play at the end of the third period with the game out of hand.
It’s been a tough couple of seasons for Jones, who missed all but two games of last season after suffering a torn pectoral muscle. He will be a restricted free agent at the end of next season.
Silfverberg Reaches 700 NHL Games
Jakob Silfverberg appeared in his 700th career NHL game against the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 13. Silfverberg began his career with the Ottawa Senators but most of his tenure in the NHL has come with the Ducks after he and others were traded to Anaheim for Bobby Ryan.
The early seasons of Silfverberg’s time were spent on teams who were playoff-bound and Cup contenders. He himself was a big reason behind those successes as part of the Ducks’ shutdown line alongside Ryan Kesler and Andrew Cogliano.
However, the last several seasons have not borne the same results for both team and player as the Ducks have not made the playoffs since the 2017-18 season—when they were swept by the San Jose Sharks—and Silfverberg has not reached the 30-point mark since the 2019-20 season. He’s also had the last two seasons cut short, one due to hip surgery and the other due to a blood clot in his right leg.
Fowler Hits 300 Assists
With an assist on Trevor Zegras’ power-play goal against the Devils, Cam Fowler reached 300 career assists in the NHL. Fowler has been one of the Ducks’ most consistent defensemen since his debut in 2010.
Although not the atypical No. 1 defenseman that some expected him to become when he was first drafted, he is now top-10 in games played, points and assists in the franchise’s history. He also holds several franchise records for defensemen as well.
Related: 3 Ducks Prospects Return Home with a WJC Gold
With this homestand now concluded, the Ducks head out on the road for two weeks. Their trip begins in Pittsburgh and will end with a stop in Denver to face the Colorado Avalanche before returning home to face the Arizona Coyotes on Jan. 28 just before the NHL All-Star break.
