Defensemen Brett Festerling and Danny Syvret have been placed on waivers, paring the Ducks’ blue line down to eight as the regular season approaches.
The biggest name of the eight belongs to 2010 first-round draft pick Cam Fowler. The 18-year-old has appeared in four preseason games, logging two assists and a minus-3 rating, while also seeing time on the Ducks’ power play. For Fowler to make the opening-day roster would represent a major accomplishment with a franchise that has historically given its draftees more time to develop. The list of Anaheim draft picks who went straight to the NHL in
their draft year is a short one: Steve Rucchin and Oleg Tverdovsky in
1994-95, Chad Kilger in 1995-96, and (then-26-year-old) Niclas Havelid
in 1999-2000.
It’s also a vote of confidence for Brendan Mikkelson, who has one assist
and a minus-2 rating in two preseason games. The Ducks are expected to
carry eight defensemen as long as veteran Toni Lydman remains off the ice. It
has now been more than two weeks since Lydman suffered an acute episode
of double vision.
In addition to Mikkelson, Fowler and Lydman, the Ducks have Lubomir Visnovsky, Andy Sutton, Luca Sbisa, Sheldon Brookbank and Paul Mara.
Syvret appeared in three games – including Tuesday’s 8-3 shellacking in Los Angeles – recording a goal, an assist and a minus-1 rating. Festerling did not play Tuesday and only appeared in one preseason game, going scoreless.
Festerling scored three points in 42 games last year in
his second NHL season, and his third with the Ducks organization. Syvret signed in July after playing in 21 games with Philadelphia last season. Both could wind up with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch if they clear waivers.
Thursday was a busy day for Ducks prospects Eric Regan, Marco Cousineau and Ryan Hiller, who were each sent from Syracuse to the ECHL’s Elmira Jackals.
Veteran defenseman Sheldon Souray, who has been banished from the Edmonton Oilers’ training camp and whose name has been linked to the Ducks this summer, was also placed on waivers Thursday along with former Anaheim goalie Martin Gerber.
