Ducks Announce Several Roster Moves

In advance of Friday’s season opener, the Ducks announced numerous roster moves today.  The team placed defenseman Drew Helleson on injured reserve and put winger Troy Terry on long-term injured reserve.  They also assigned centers Roger McQueen and Cruz Lucius to AHL San Diego.  With the freed-up roster spots, Anaheim then recalled defensemen Tristan Luneau, Travis Mitchell, and Noah Warren from the Gulls.

The Ducks were hoping that Helleson would be recovered from his lower-body injury in time for the season opener although this placement ends that hope.  Meanwhile, Terry’s placement should come as no surprise as he’s recovering from hip surgery that will keep him out for another two to three months.  As this is not a season-ending placement, Anaheim’s LTIR pool only increases by $3,973,228, not his full $7MM AAV.

McQueen and Lucius made the opening roster but will have to wait at least a little while longer to make their NHL debuts.  Their presence on the roster was set to maximize their LTIR flexibility once Terry was moved to LTIR and now that they’ve done so, the prospects can go back to San Diego.  McQueen, a 2025 first-round pick, had three points in seven games down the stretch with the Gulls after turning pro while Lucius had 46 points in 36 games with ASU last season and will be in his freshman professional campaign in 2026-27.

As for the recalls, Mitchell had the most NHL experience last season, getting into nine games with the Islanders.  He signed a one-year, two-way deal with Anaheim as a Group Six unrestricted free agent this summer as these were the 26-year-old’s only NHL contests.  Mitchell, who cleared waivers back on Sunday, had 17 points in 58 games with AHL Bridgeport last season.

Luneau, meanwhile, has briefly seen action with Anaheim in each of his first three professional seasons, though his overall NHL experience is minimal, just 14 games overall.  Only one of those came last season, however, though he scored his second career NHL goal in that appearance.  The 22-year-old saw his production with the Gulls dip last season, though he still managed 10 goals and 31 assists in 70 games.

As for Warren, he’s entering his third professional campaign and this is his first career recall.  The 22-year-old was a 2022 second-round pick and had a dozen points in 61 outings with San Diego last season.  As things stand, two of the three blueliners will be suiting up on Thursday night so Warren should have a good chance at making his NHL debut.