Ducks’ Ross Johnston out 3-4 weeks with lower-body injury
The Anaheim Ducks will be without their preeminent tough guy for approximately the rest of the regular season.
On Wednesday, head coach Joel Quenneville announced that forward Ross Johnston is expected to miss the next three to four weeks with a lower-body injury.
Joel Quenneville said Ross Johnston (lower-body) will be out for approximately 3-4 weeks. #FlyTogether
It’s unclear when or how Johnston got hurt, but he has missed Anaheim’s last three games while dealing with the injury.
With the Ducks’ last regular season game scheduled for April 16th, Johnston’s return will likely come at the tail end of the regular season or the early portion of the postseason.
Johnston, 31, has three goals and 11 assists for a career-best 14 points in 62 games this season, but he’s not employed because of his offense. The Charlottetown, P.E.I. native is Anaheim’s top enforcer. His team-leading 107 penalty minutes this season is more than double Beckett Sennecke’s 46 PIM’s, which is second most on the team. The 6’5″, 230-pounder has gotten into nine fights this season.
The Ducks acquired Johnston when they claimed him off waivers from the New York Islanders on October of 2023. In each of the his seasons with Anaheim prior to this one, he has a goal and three assists for four points.
He is in the final season of a four-year, $4.4 million contract, and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this upcoming offseason.
With 77 points through 67 games, the Ducks currently sit in first place in the Pacific Division, but are within just two points of the Edmonton Oilers and the Vegas Golden Knights. Regardless of their exact seeding, Anaheim appears poised to make the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
The Ducks will host the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday and then visit the Utah Mammoth on Friday, before returning home to face the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.