Ducks lose Matt Beleskey, Sami Vatanen for weeks to injury
The Anaheim Ducks currently have a nice 10-point cushion ahead of the Canucks and Flames atop the Pacific Division, but on Tuesday they lost two key pieces to their lineup in Matt Beleskey and Sami Vatanen.
Beleskey will miss 2-4 weeks with an upper-body injury, while Vatanen will miss more time, approximately 4-6 weeks, with a lower-body injury. The forward ranks second on the Ducks in goals with 21, while the Finnish defenseman is third in ice time on the team, averaging 21:40 per game, and leads their back end in scoring with 12 goals and 34 points.
According to ESPN.com’s Pierre LeBrun, Ducks GM Bob Murray had already been looking for blueline help, but Vatanen’s injury will only intensify that search. And now without Beleskey, time to add a forward to his shopping list.
Andrej Sekera and Jeff Petry are two defensemen who will see lots of interest as the March 2 trade deadline approaches. Vatanen won’t need surgery, as Eric Stephens Tweeted, but adding some more depth on the back end is always worth doing if you’re keen to make a Stanley Cup run.
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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy
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