Surgery likely for Lupul.

Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle said Tuesday that left wing Joffrey Lupul is likely to undergo surgery on his back.


“I don’t know if it’s 100 percent,” Carlyle said, “but it’s a probability at this point.”


Lupul began suffering back spasms during the preseason, and attempted to play through the pain until Nov. 19, when he rested for two weeks before attempting a comeback on Dec. 4 in Minnesota. He played the next three games, scoring four goals, before experiencing numbness in his leg as a result of his back injections.

Lupul was scheduled to undergo an MRI after missing Monday’s practice at Honda Center. He did not skate Tuesday, and Carlyle said the surgery has not been scheduled yet.

“The determination for that will be depending on the doctor’s schedule, when he’s available,” he said. “You’ll know when I know.”


“He’s a big part of our team,” said Corey Perry, who flanked top-line center Ryan Getzlaf opposite Lupul recently. “He’s a goal scorer and a great player. He’s going to be missed. There’s going to have to be some guys to step up, take his place and fill that hole.”


Perry said that it didn’t appear to him that Lupul was playing in pain. “When he’s on the ice, he doesn’t look like he’s laboring at all. …He was pretty comfortable when he came in. He’d been playing well for us.”
This entry was posted in Anaheim Ducks/NHL and tagged by J.P. Hoornstra. Bookmark the permalink.

About J.P. Hoornstra

J.P. Hoornstra covers the Dodgers, Angels and Major League Baseball for the Orange County Register, Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Torrance Daily Breeze, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News, San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Whittier Daily News and Redlands Daily Facts. Before taking the beat in 2012, J.P. covered the NHL for four years. UCLA gave him a degree once upon a time; when he graduated on schedule, he missed getting Arnold Schwarzenegger's autograph on his diploma by five months.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.