Ducks center Leo Carlsson’s Olympic dream has been deferred.
He was set to become the youngest player representing Team Sweden in Milan next month, but the 21-year-old’s availability was jeopardized by a procedure he underwent on his left thigh in mid-January.
The Tre Kronor officially announced Tuesday that Carlsson would be replaced by Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Johansson. His Wild teammate, defenseman Jonas Brodin, will also miss the competition and be replaced by former Duck Hampus Lindholm, now of the Boston Bruins.
Carlsson underwent surgery on his left thigh to repair a Morel-Lavallée lesion. It’s a rare condition in which fat and skin detach from fascia tissue, creating a cavity that fills with fluid.
He last played on Jan. 10, notching a goal and an assist in a losing effort against the Sabres in Buffalo, the Ducks’ ninth straight defeat.
Carlsson had been pointless in nine of his 10 previous games. He hadn’t had a multipoint showing in more than a month after turning in 11 efforts of two or more points in the first two months of the season, when he scored 38 points in 29 games with a +11 rating. Since, he’s produced just eight points in 16 games with a -7 rating.
Ducks coach Joel Quenneville acknowledged that Carlsson had been dealing with discomfort and negative effects of the injury before he had the procedure that sidelined him.
Carlsson’s initial recovery prognosis was three to five weeks, with his Jan. 16 procedure less than a month before the tournament began in Italy on Feb. 11. Despite the absences of Carlsson and Troy Terry, who were Nos. 1 and 2 on the team in scoring when they went down, the Ducks matched their season-best winning streak with seven straight victories before stumbling in Edmonton on Monday.
They will still have five members of their organization in Milan. Prospect Damian Clara will tend goal for the hosts. Mikael Granlund, who scored a hat trick on the power play in a loss to Edmonton on Monday, will skate for Finland. Jackson LaCombe was named to Team USA as an injury replacement for Florida’s Seth Jones. Goalie Lukáš Dostál and Ducks captain Radko Gudas will reprise their roles from the 2024 World Championships with Czechia.