Ducks’ forward Isac Lundestrom tears Achilles, to miss 6 months

Anaheim Ducks’ forward Isac Lundestrom tore his Achilles tendon on Tuesday and, after receiving surgery, may not return until 2024.

News of a potentially serious injury first broke on Tuesday night, and it was confirmed on Wednesday that Lundestrom had torn the ligament during offseason training in his native Sweden.

Lundestrom hopes to return to the ice around Christmas, but given the nature of the injury, an exact timetable could be hard to predict.

The report will deal a significant blow to the forward depth of a Ducks team desperate to make major strides in 2023-2024. Lundestrom, the 23rd-overall selection in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, would have figured prominently in Anaheim’s bottom-six forwards.

The injury is another setback for a player who already dealt with adversity last season. After breaking out as a solid two-way player and recording career-highs in games (80), goals (16), and assists (13) in 2021-2022, a broken finger cost Lundestrom 20 games near the turn of the year. 

Along with an anemic Ducks offense that was the league’s second-worst, the injury caused a backslide in his production (4G, 14P in 61GP). Now Lundestrom will miss even more time and must reinsert himself in Anaheim’s plans when he returns.

In the meantime, the Ducks will hope that newly-signed veterans Alex Killorn and Radko Gudas can improve a losing culture in Southern California and bolster a lineup built around second-overall pick Leo Carlsson, youngsters Trevor Zegras and Mason McTavish, and newly-re-signed All-Star Troy Terry.