Anaheim Ducks forward Leo Carlsson was helped off the ice at practice on Friday afternoon, according to Derek Lee of the Sporting Tribune.
Carlsson was unable to put any pressure on his right skate while heading off the ice and the injury can preliminarily be described as a right side, lower-body issue.
The full extent of the injury hasn’t been revealed. However, the initial information of not putting any pressure on his right skate is certainly concerning.
Based on Carlsson’s performance throughout training camp and preseason thus far the 18-year-old was expected to be on the Ducks’ opening night roster.
Taken second overall in 2023, Carlsson has caught the eye of Ducks coach, Greg Cronin, who has continually played him over 17 minutes a night in the four preseason games Carlsson has participated in.
After the Ducks’ first preseason game, Cronin specifically stated that he thought Carlsson played terrific.
“He’s got a presence on the ice when he gets the puck. You can see his talent because he’s already thinking a couple of plays ahead and he’s very confident with it.”
The forward received similar praise from Ducks General Manager, Pat Verbeek in a recent interview with Sirius XM NHL radio.
“The way I see it, he’s going to be in the NHL all year, it’s just a matter of how many games he’s going to play over the course of the season.”
With Carlsson potentially sidelined for an extended period the Ducks will have to put together some new line combinations heading into their final preseason game taking on the Arizona Coyotes this Saturday. Carlsson was previously slotted on a line with recently signed Trevor Zegras and Troy Terry when the Ducks clashed with the Coyotes on Thursday evening.
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