Anaheim Ducks star rookie Leo Carlsson avoided season ending injury

Carlsson, 18, suffered the injury midway through the third period of Thursday’s game against the Calgary Flames when MacKenzie Weegar fell on Carlsson’s leg, causing it to bend awkwardly and resulting in the injury. He finished the game with two shots and a penalty in 14:04 of ice time, as the Ducks lost the game 3-0.

Carlsson has had a solid rookie season with eight goals and seven assists for 15 points in 23 games. It puts him on pace for 53 points in a full 82-game season, although he wouldn’t have reached that game mark this season even without the injury as the Ducks have been managing his workload to train and prepare his physicality for a season of that length.

Carlsson has also been surprisingly strong defensively this season, considering his rookie status and the fact that he’s been playing top minutes when he’s in the lineup. While his 50.84% 5v5 expected goal share doesn’t jump off the page, it’s the fourth highest on the team, and he also has outperformed his teammates when he’s on the ice with a +4.63% expected goal relative percentage.

Carlsson was the second overall pick of the Ducks in the 2023 NHL Draft, a surprise at the time with Adam Fantilli expected to go at that spot, but it’s worked out well so far for the Ducks. He’s currently in the first year of his three-year entry level contract with a $950,000 cap hit, along with an additional $3,250,000 in performances.

The Ducks will look to bounce back from their loss to the Flames when they host the Seattle Kraken on Saturday at 8 p.m. EST. They currently sit in seventh in the Pacific Division with a 12-20-0 record, the fourth-worst record in the league.