Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Whenever a team is eliminated from the postseason, we always hear about the injuries that many of the players on their roster were dealing with, either at points during the regular season, or that slowed them in the postseason. The Anaheim Ducks were no exception.
In fact, one of their players was apparently playing with one of the more serious injuries in sports, as Francois Beauchemin was playing in their first round series against the Detroit Red Wings with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, which is medical speak for torn ACL.
Despite the fact that he underwent surgery for something as serious as this, it appears that he’ll be ready to start the 2013-14 season on time.
Is that something that the Ducks should rely on? Probably not. Some players are able to recover from something serious like this quickly, like Erik Karlsson did with his Achilles, but there are really no guarantees with something like an ACL injury.
Beauchemin had a fantastic season in 2013 for the Ducks, one of the best of his career. He finished with 24 points from the blue line, just 10 shy of his career high, including eight on the power play. His plus-24 rating was easily the best of his career. One could easily make the argument that he was snubbed as a Norris Trophy candidate.
The Ducks could survive without Beauchemin for a bit to start the season. There’s really no reason to try and rush back, and he probably won’t. While he is definitely “hopeful” that he’ll return on time, one would imagine there would be at least a slight delay in his season debut next year while he completes his recover.
