Two injuries in one game to two of the Anaheim Ducks youngest and most talented players make life worse in Southern California. Both Trevor Zegras and Pavel Mintyukov will see extended time on the injured reserve list from Tuesday night’s game.
Injury Update: Trevor Zegras suffered a broken ankle on Tuesday and will have surgery in the near future. He will be out approximately 6-8 weeks.
In the same game, Pavel Mintyukov suffered a separated shoulder and will be out approximately six weeks.https://t.co/dVPHlhrPSB
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) January 11, 2024
Anaheim Ducks Horrible, Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Trevor Zegras left Tuesday’s game in the first period against the Nashville Predators. He will undergo ankle surgery “in the near future” according to the Ducks press release. Zegras has had a rough season, playing in just 20 games so far. His point totals have been far below what was hoped as well, with just four goals and seven points in that time.
There has been plenty of smoke around the young star this year. Rumours of his availability on the trade market are rampant, though those will be quelled after today’s news. Zegras is a lightning rod for opposing teams’ ire, and possibly some from Ducks coaches as well. Given his talent, he is a candidate to become the league’s Most Irritating Player whenever Brad Marchand finally retires.
Missing Zegras Is Bad Enough Without Adding Pavel Mintyukov to the Injured Reserve List
The 20-year-old rookie defenceman has been having a very solid year on a very weak team. His emergence is one of the reasons Anaheim considered Jamie Drysdale expendable in the Cutter Gauthier deal earlier this week. He and veteran Ilya Lyubushkin formed a respectable duo as Anaheim’s third pairing, playing over 450 minutes together so far this season.
With two goals and 19 points, Mintyukov was their highest scorer on the blue line. For a team desperate for NHL-ready talent, it’s going to be very hard to replace him. He was second in rookie scoring for defencemen when he was injured.
Mintyukov appeared in all 40 of Anaheim’s games this season until the injury. There has been no announcement whether he will undergo surgery for his separated shoulder or try to rest it instead. For now, the expectation is he will be back in approximately six weeks.
Main photo: Gary A. Vasquez – USA TODAY Sports
