The Anaheim Ducks will be without Mason McTavish tonight against the Edmonton Oilers, as the forward deals with an upper-body injury.
McTavish, 21, didn’t miss any time prior to the NHL All-Star break, having played 17:25 in their final game against the San Jose Sharks before the break. Yet, now as things pick back up for the Ducks with their first post-break game being Friday night’s, McTavish won’t be in the lineup.
As Daily Faceoff’s Scott Maxwell alluded to today, “with a window of more than a week between games, it certainly opens the door to an off-ice injury occurring, or he was possibly using the break to rest an ailing injury and figured that another game off might help.” Nonetheless, McTavish has been having a tremendous season for Anaheim, scoring 13 goals and 31 points in 43 games, pacing him for a career-high.
While largely playing a third-line role, he’s remained more than productive in his second NHL season. With him out, Brett Leason slides up to the third line, while Max Jones draws in in on the fourth line.
Vladar down
McTavish’s injury news wasn’t the only one Friday, as a brief panic ensured in the morning when the Calgary Flames had an emergency backup goaltender at practice.
While some speculated about a potential Jacob Markstrom trade looming, it was actually because backup netminder Dan Vladar had been placed on the injured reserve due to a lower-body injury. In lieu of that, the club recalled Dustin Wolf from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers.
Vladar, according to Flames head coach Ryan Huska, was injured during warmup in Calgary’s Thursday night game against the New Jersey Devils. After a solid 2021-22 season, Vladar has struggled in the last two years, posting the worst numbers of his career this season. Across 16 games, he’s posted a 7-7-2 record, .888 save percentage and a 3.27 goals against average.
Here’s more, from Daily Faceoff’s Scott Maxwell:
Vladar is a former third-round pick of the Boston Bruins in the 2015 NHL Draft, but didn’t make his NHL debut until he made the Bruins’ Return to Play roster in the 2020 playoff bubble and eventually became the backup goalie when Tuukka Rask withdrew from the tournament, playing one game in relief of Jaroslav Halak. He played five games the following season with the Bruins before he was dealt to the Flames in the 2021 offseason for a third-round pick to become their backup goalie for Jacob Markstrom.
Vladar is currently in the first year of a two-year contract with a $2.2 million cap hit, a deal he signed as an extension shortly after the start of the 2022-23 season.
With Vladar’s injury, Dustin Wolf has been recalled from the AHL to serve as the backup to Markstrom for the Flames. Wolf has struggled in his brief time in the NHL this season, with a 1-2-1 record, an .893% save %, and -3.04 goals saved above expected, but has been excellent in the AHL with an 18-7-2 record, a .927% save%, and four shutouts.
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