The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Struggling Ducks looking forward to Terry's return
Not that the Ducks needed evidence that life without Troy Terry in the lineup would be an uphill struggle, but the importance of their best player has been accentuated the past four games, all onesided losses.
They gave up six goals to the Pittsburgh Penguins, seven to the Vegas Golden Knights, seven to the Buffalo Sabres and six more to the Kings on Friday night at Honda Center.
“Another game where we shot ourselves in the foot,” goaltender John Gibson said after the 6-3 loss to the Kings, in which the Ducks gave up three power-play goals.
While it looks like a historically brutal stretch, in allowing six or more goals in four straight games, well, the Ducks have been down this road before.
In the 1995-96 season, they dropped four consecutive games, giving up seven goals to the San Jose Sharks and six goals each in losses to the Detroit Red Wings, Vancouver Canucks and Kings in a stretch running from Dec. 19 to Dec. 27.
(For the record, goalies Mikhail Shtalenkov and Guy Hebert shared the pain in that particular run.)
Terry left the game early in the first period of his first game after the All-star break — on Feb. 6 in Dallas — joining a list of prominent players suffering injuries after the pause.
The Ducks’ secondleading scorer was called week-to-week with an upper-body injury but skated for the first time on Friday morning and took part in practice Sunday, the Ducks said. They are on the road for a fourgame trip, which starts today against the Florida Panthers.
After the trip, the Ducks play a homeheavy schedule down the stretch with only seven road games remaining. The biggest date for them — at least until the NHL draft lottery — is March 3, the league’s trade deadline.
While bigger names were traded by Ducks GM Pat Verbeek last season — Rickard Rakell to Pittsburgh, Hampus Lindholm to Boston and Josh Manson to Colorado — there could be three or four others moved out this time around, depending on market conditions and valuation.
Defensemen John Klingberg, Dmitry Kulikov and Kevin Shattenkirk and goaltender Anthony Stolarz will be unrestricted free agents, and while forward Adam Henrique has one year remaining at $5.825 million, there could be a match depending on how much money the Ducks would be willing to retain.
Another challenge is Henrique’s 10-team, notrade clause, according to Capfriendly.com. Of note, Klingberg has a 10-team, no-trade clause as of Jan. 1. It had been a full no-move clause until then.
Shattenkirk has a 12team, no-trade list, according to Capfriendly.