logo
FlamesNation has no direct affiliation to the Calgary Flames, Calgary Sports and Entertainment, NHL, or NHLPA
Around the NHL: Drew Doughty diagnosed with a fractured left ankle
alt
Photo credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Ryley Delaney
Sep 27, 2024, 16:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 27, 2024, 17:28 EDT
Comments
Injuries around the league are piling up.
A star player left Thursday’s pre-season game, while another star player appears to be out long-term due to a fractured ankle. Moreover, Anaheim’s netminder will be out for 3-6 weeks.
Let’s take a look at all of that in the latest Around the NHL.

John Gibson out 3-6 weeks

It was reported by The Athletic’s Eric Stephens that Anaheim Ducks netminder John Gibson underwent an emergency appendectomy and will miss 3-6 weeks, which includes the beginning of the season.
Gibson’s numbers have taken a real hit the past five seasons as the Ducks are in a rebuild. The 2023-24 season was the worst of the bunch, as he posted an .888 save percentage and a 3.54 goals-against average in 46 games played.
He hasn’t posted a save percentage above .905 since the 2018-19 season, nor has Gibson had a goals-against average below 2.50 since the 2017-18 season. The Ducks’ goalie of the future, Lukáš Dostál, will surely get plenty of opportunities this season.

William Nylander left Thursday’s game

During Thursday’s game against the Montréal Canadiens, William Nylander suffered an injury after his teammate Nick Robertson pushed him with his stick blade, causing him to fall and collide with a Canadiens player.
After just 4:04 minutes on the ice, Nylander was removed from the game for precautionary reasons, as he’s dealt with concussions and migraines in the past. Hopefully, this isn’t a long-term injury.
Last season, Nylander matched his career-high in goals with 40, while also scoring a career-high 98 points. In four postseason games, he scored three goals as the Leafs fell in the first round to the Boston Bruins (again).

Drew Doughty diagnosed with a fractured ankle

Sticking with some more unfortunate injury news, it was reported by Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli that the initial assessment on Drew Doughty is that he has a fractured left ankle.
During Wednesday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights, the Los Angeles Kings’ defenceman fell awkwardly into the boards, needing help getting off the ice. It’s a big blow for the Kings.
Last season, Doughty scored 15 goals (the most since his sophomore season in 2009-10), along with 50 points in 82 games. In the postseason, he managed to score two goals and three points in five games, as the Kings fell to the Edmonton Oilers in the first round for the third consecutive season.
Hopefully, Doughty has a speedy recovery and isn’t out for too long.

Rasmus Dahlin named Buffalo’s captain

Moving away from the injury news, it was announced by the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday that Rasmus Dahlin would serve as the Sabres’ 22nd captain in franchise history.
The left-shot defenceman was selected first-overall by the Sabres in the 2018 draft. Last season, he scored a career-high 20 goals, but fell short on the 73 points he had put up in 2022-23, managing just 59 of them.
Still, Dahlin will attempt to help break the lengthy playoff drought the team is currently in, as the team hasn’t made the postseason in 13 years and haven’t won a playoff series in 17 seasons.
Thanks for reading! You can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.

Editorials

Breaking News