Ducks News & Rumors: Gudas, Lyubushkin, Hagg, Sidorov & More

For now, the Ducks should be much more concerned with a growing list of injured defensemen as well as the struggles of the San Diego Gulls of the American Hockey League (AHL). We’ll cover that and other topics in the latest news and rumors roundup. 

Ducks Lose Defenders Gudas and Lyubushkin 

Radko Gudas — who joined Anaheim on a three-year, $12 million contract in the summer — wasn’t able to play in Tuesday’s loss because of a lower-body injury. Ducks head coach Greg Cronin called the injury “very short term” during his pregame media availability. Gudas has averaged 18:52 of ice time per game this season, while chipping in three goals, seven points, 27 shots on net, 47 blocked shots, and 58 hits. He also ranks ninth in the league with 37 penalty minutes. He is reportedly dealing with a knee injury that he suffered in the Ducks’ 8-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Nov. 26 (from ‘Ducks’ skid reaches 7 games after loss to Canucks,’ The Orange County Register, Nov. 28, 2023).

Anaheim lost another rugged blueliner late in the first period of Tuesday’s defeat when Ilya Lyubushkin sustained an upper-body injury. He was unable to return and there was no update on his status following the contest from coach Cronin. Tristan Luneau was in the lineup due to the absence of Gudas, and Lyubushkin’s early exit led to Cam Fowler logging a season-high 29:56 of ice time. “I was proud of the way we competed when for most of the game [Lyubushkin] was out,” Cronin said after the loss. “In the second period, we came out of the locker room telling the forwards ‘you can’t make it a tough game for the [defense]’, so put everything deep and we did, we hunted pucks down, got them back and then they gave us a push in the third and we didn’t gain any momentum.”

The Ducks will need to recall a blueliner prior to Thursday’s (Nov. 30) matchup against the Washington Capitals if Gudas and Lyubushkin are not available. Robert Hagg makes plenty of sense to earn the promotion because he plays a similar stay-at-home, physical style and can kill penalties. Unfortunately, the timing may not be right to see Olen Zellweger make his NHL debut yet. The 20-year-old rearguard has three goals and 13 points through 15 AHL contests this season. 

Gulls Finally Halt Winless Slump 

The Gulls were mired in a 13-game winless drought (0-11-2) prior to finally getting back into the win column on Saturday, Nov. 25 with a 3-1 victory over the Chicago Wolves. Tomas Suchanek, who was a standout performer for the Ducks during the 2023 Rookie Faceoff Tournament, stopped 23 shots in a 3-1 victory during his first AHL start. Suchanek — who agreed to an AHL contract with the Gulls after attending training camp with the Ducks — has spent most of the 2023-24 season with the ECHL’s Tulsa Oilers. In six games with the Oilers, he has posted a 3-3-0 record with a 2.68 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage. 

Hagg scored the game-winning goal for the Gulls and captain Chase De Leo picked up an assist on the play. It was De Leo’s season debut after starting the campaign on the Ducks’ injured non-roster list. He suffered a sprained MCL during the preseason, which resulted in a four-game suspension for Arthur Kaliyev of the Los Angeles Kings. The 28-year-old De Leo produced nine goals and 23 points in 22 games with the Gulls last season. 

Ducks’ Prospect Sidorov Continues Red-Hot November 

2023 third-round pick (85th overall) Yegor Sidorov has been racking up goals in the Western Hockey League this season for the Saskatoon Blades. He has lit the lamp a league-leading 24 times through 24 games and has also been credited with a league-high 127 shots on goal.

Sidorov, who has contributed nine assists as well this campaign, has been all over the scoresheet in November. He begun the month with a six-game goal streak and has registered 16 markers, including three hat tricks, over 13 outings. He will look to add to that total against the Spokane Chiefs on Wednesday (Nov. 29) night.

Ducks Still Searching for Answers 

Goal scoring has been a major problem for the Ducks during the team’s losing skid as they have been held to two goals or fewer in six of the seven games. The warning signs were there despite the team’s impressive start. Not having Trevor Zegras’ creativity in the lineup certainly hurts, but he didn’t produce many points when he was in and it remains unclear when he will be able to return. Leo Carlsson has been scratched for the past two games, as he continues to go through the Ducks’ development plan. He is capable of providing a spark, but he only has one assist in his past four appearances. 

The Ducks rank 27th in the league in shots per game (29.0), which has been a concern of coach Cronin. The good news is the team has surpassed that average shot total in three of the past four contests. Now, it’s just a matter of capitalizing on more of their opportunities. If the Ducks can do that, they should be able to follow in the footsteps of their top-minor league affiliate and end another lengthy losing streak for the organization.