The Anaheim Ducks will be without hard-shooting defenseman Sheldon Souray for a while thanks to an off-ice injury.
The team announced Souray will miss the next 4-to-6 months after suffering a torn ligament in his right wrist while working out off the ice on July 17. He had it operated on back on July 25 and now they’ve got a big hole in their defensive corps. He could be back as early as late-November.
To that end, the team also announced the signing of physical defenseman Mark Fistric, formerly of the Oilers, to a one-year deal.
Souray’s absence on the blue line delivers a harsh blow to a team that was already thin at that position.
His play since arriving in Anaheim has been steady and his well-known slap shot has been productive for the Ducks scoring seven goals with 10 assists last season. He was an obvious top-four guy for them and now they’ll start the season looking a bit rough on the back end.
Fistric will give them a veteran body to help fill Souray’s absence, but he was unspectacular for the Oilers last season.
The Ducks will rely even more on Francois Bueachemin to carry them and hope guys like Cam Fowler, Bryan Allen, and Luca Sbisa can step up their game. Sami Vatanen and Ben Lovejoy will also need to bring their A-game so the Ducks don’t take a beating defensively.
