Ducks’ Ryan Poehling out 6-8 weeks with MCL sprain
Terrible news for a player who has had injury woes throughout his career.
On Tuesday, the Anaheim Ducks announced that forward Ryan Poehling has been placed on injured reserve and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks due to an MCL sprain.
Poehling going on IR opened the door for 2025 first-round pick Roger McQueen to be called up from the Ducks’ American Hockey League affiliate, the San Diego Gulls.
Poehling was hurt this past Saturday night in a game against the Calgary Flames. Early in the third period, the 27-year-old beat Dustin Wolf for his first goal of the season, shorthanded, to give the Ducks the lead. However, as the play progressed, Flames defenseman Zayne Parekh, attempting to break up the rush, took out Poehling’s feet, sending him crashing into the Calgary goal.
Poehling’s left leg slammed awkwardly into the post and laid on the ice in pain. He had to be assisted off the ice, taken down to the Anaheim dressing room and didn’t return to the game. He posted a goal and an assist in just 11:49 of ice time, helping the Ducks win 4-2.
In five contests thus far, the former St. Cloud State Husky has two points, a plus/minus of -1 and an average time on ice of 14:15.
For Poehling, it’s just another injury on the laundry list that has plagued him throughout his pro career. He dealt with concussion problems during his days with the Montreal Canadiens organization. Over the past four seasons as a full-time NHLer, he has never participated in every game in a single season. Even in last year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, he was forced to miss a crucial Game 6 against the Vegas Golden Knights after Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb delivered a late hit that led to the latter being suspended.
The Lakeville, Minn. native entered the 2026-27 campaign coming off the best season of his career, scoring 11 goals and a career-high 36 points. It led to Poehling receiving a four-year contract extension, with an AAV of $3.75 million through the 2029-30 campaign.
The Ducks (4-1-0) are in action on Tuesday night, taking on the Flames in Anaheim.
