Ducks’ Leo Carlsson out day-to-day with lower-body injury
The Anaheim Ducks will be without their leading scorer for at least a game.
The team announced Monday that center Leo Carlsson is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury, meaning he will miss Monday’s game against the Seattle Kraken.
Injury Update: Leo Carlsson is out tonight with a lower-body injury and is day-to-day. pic.twitter.com/0ePsdgvpXM
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) December 22, 2025Carlsson, 20, suffered his injury during Anaheim’s 4-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday. The Ducks expect him to only miss Monday’s game, and be ready to return for the team’s first game following the Christmas break against the Los Angeles Kings on December 27th.
Leo Carlsson will miss his first game of the season tonight as the center nurses a lower-body injury, per Joel Quenneville. Got hurt late against CBJ. Ducks expect him to return this Saturday in L.A.
— Eric Stephens (@icemancometh) December 22, 2025The Swedish national is blossoming into a star in his third full-time NHL season. In 36 games played, he has 17 goals and 24 assists for a team-leading 41 points. Carlsson, along with Cutter Gauthier, Beckett Sennecke, and Mason McTavish, make up one the most exciting young forward groups in the league.
Selected second overall by Anaheim out of the Swedish Hockey League in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, Carlsson immediately joined the Ducks as a 19-year-old rookie for the 2023-24 season. That year, he showed promise with 12 goals and 17 assists for 29 points in 55 games. Last season, he demonstrated a slight improvement with 20 goals and 25 assists for 45 points in 76 games, setting the stage for his star turn this season.
Carlsson’s personal breakthrough has coincided with the Ducks’ leap into playoff contention. After seven straight seasons of missing the postseason, Anaheim leads the Pacific Division and sits fourth in the Western Conference with 44 points through 36 games. They currently have a 77.7 per cent chance of making the playoffs, according to MoneyPuck.
After playing Seattle on Monday and the Kings next Saturday, the Ducks will host the San Jose Sharks on December 29th and the Tampa Bay Lightning on New Year’s Eve to wrap up 2025.