Ducks blanked by Panthers as NHL trade deadline looms Monday

ANAHEIM — For the record, the Ducks’ winless streak reached six consecutive games with a 3-0 loss to Florida on Friday night at Honda Center, a game that began with Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad suffering an apparent right leg injury after a collision with teammate Aleksander Barkov.

Meanwhile, with the trade deadline looming ever larger on the horizon, the Ducks scratched defenseman Hampus Lindholm in an asset management move as General Manager Pat Verbeek worked the phones in an attempt to complete a deal by Monday after contract talks stalled.

Lindholm simply wanted a longer-term contract extension than Verbeek was willing to give him. Rather than lose Lindholm, a 28-year-old potential unrestricted free agent at season’s end, Verbeek turned his attention to a trade, according to multiple reports early Friday morning.

Verbeek already traded one potential unrestricted free agent, defenseman Josh Manson, acquiring prospect Drew Helleson and a second-round draft pick in 2023 last Monday from the Colorado Avalanche. Lindholm and right wing Rickard Rakell are the most prominent unrestricted free agents remaining.

Ryan Getzlaf, Nicolas Deslauriers and Sam Carrick also need new contracts, but they aren’t likely to demand long-term deals like the ones Lindholm and Rakell coveted. In fact, Getzlaf is likely to accept a one-season deal similar to the one he signed this season, assuming he doesn’t retire.

Max Comtois, who is under contract through next season, also has been mentioned in trade chatter around the league.

“It’s hard,” Ducks right wing Troy Terry said. “That’s a part of it. For me, I feel like, for the most part, the core group of guys has pretty much been intact since I’ve been here. It is hard. It’s newer to me, losing guys like Manson and whatever else is going to happen. It is a distraction and it is hard.

“I don’t know if it was that or what, but it felt like our energy wasn’t where it needed to be tonight. Attribute it to whatever, but it can’t be like that. We are professionals and we have to come to the rink and we’re playing with as much energy as we can, especially when we’re playing a team like that.”

The trade speculation might have intensified even if the Ducks hadn’t gone 0-3-2 on their just-completed five-game trip and fallen from Stanley Cup playoff contention, given Verbeek’s first deadline opportunity after he was hired Feb. 3 to replace Bob Murray, who resigned as GM on Nov. 10.

Monday’s deadline overshadowed the Ducks’ return to Honda Center and the only appearance there this season for the Panthers, the NHL’s top offensive team. Ekblad, Florida’s top defensive player, fell to the ice awkwardly only 65 seconds into the game, lying in obvious pain.

Ekblad crawled toward the Panthers’ bench and then couldn’t put any weight on his right leg as he stood, needing assistance from an athletic trainer to get to the dressing room. The Panthers later said only that he had suffered a lower-body injury and wouldn’t return to the game.

“The Ekblad thing was super unfortunate,” Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. “It was crazy how all of that happened.”

The game took a violent turn as Florida’s Mason Marchment bowled over Ducks goaltender John Gibson and, later, Radko Gudas delivered a high check to Simon Benoit. Gibson clobbered Marchment with his blocker and Nicolas Deslauriers punched out Gudas after the hit on Benoit.

Playing without Lindholm plus Getzlaf, Rakell and Jakob Silfverberg, who are sidelined by injuries, the Ducks proved to be no match for the Panthers. Jonathan Huberdeau scored twice in the first period and 42-year-old Joe Thornton added a goal in the second as the Panthers took control.

In addition to building a commanding 3-0 lead through two periods, the Panthers also outshot the Ducks by an astounding 35-12. The only questions remaining in the third period were whether Huberdeau would get a hat trick and if Spencer Knight would record his first career shutout.

Neither team could score in the final period and the Panthers extended the Ducks’ winless streak to 0-4-2 with their 3-0 victory. Knight, a 20-year-old rookie making his 27th career appearance in the NHL, made 17 saves as Florida outshot the Ducks 42-17 for the night.

“I saw a team that’s getting ready to challenge for the Stanley Cup and one that’s trying to become that,” Eakins said. “Obviously, there is a wide gap right now. There were times where I thought we were connected and I thought there were times where we were not connected.

“With where we’re at right now, everybody in our lineup has to be playing at 100 percent, especially against a team like that. So, we’ve got some guys in our lineup who have taken massive roles, guys who weren’t in our lineup before, who were in San Diego (in the AHL) or in and out of our lineup.

“So, this is a massive, massive challenge.”

The Ducks will have 18 games remaining after the trade deadline Monday.

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