Mikael Granlund is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, the Ducks announced, and Anaheim's center depth is getting extremely thin.
Derek Lee pointed to the injury as the reason for Granlund's absence from the group.
The veteran has 8 points on a $7,000,000 cap hit.
He also owns a game-winner and 4 power-play points.
Pat Verbeek should be working the phones today. The Ducks can't keep asking the same handful of forwards to carry the load.
Losing pieces from the middle of a lineup is like pulling blocks from the center of a Jenga tower. It stands for a while, then it doesn't.
Cutter Gauthier remains day-to-day, and Ryan Poehling is out until at least Nov 25. Joel Quenneville has to juggle his lines again.
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Mikael Granlund injury adds to Ducks' growing list of sidelined forwards
The Ducks lost 4-2 at home to Calgary on Tuesday, handing the Flames their first win of the season.
That was supposed to be a soft landing for Roger McQueen's NHL debut. So much for that.
McQueen finished his first game without a point and with an even rating.
Gauthier has 2 power-play goals on a $13,500,000 cap hit, while Poehling had a shorthanded goal and a game-winner before getting hurt.
Leo Carlsson leads Anaheim with 9 points, 6 of them power-play assists.
His $18,000,000 cap hit is the biggest in the league.
Beckett Sennecke has 7 points, including 2 power-play goals.
Ville Husso sits at .935, while Lukas Dostal is at .892.
Oddly, Anaheim is perfect on the road and 1-2-0 at home.
The Ducks have scored 20 goals and allowed 17 through six games.
Boston arrives Friday at 5-2-0 after a 6-3 win in San Jose.
The Bruins have scored 26 goals and allowed just 16.
Who steps up if Granlund can't go against the Bruins?
After that, the Ducks head east to face the Rangers and Islanders on back-to-back nights.
Day-to-day is the best news Anaheim has gotten lately. The Ducks need it to stay that way through a tough stretch.
Should the Ducks trade for a center with Mikael Granlund and Cutter Gauthier hurt?
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