When Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen were on the mend from offseason surgeries to repair torn labrums, the Ducks knew some younger defensemen would be forced into key minutes.
Only general manager Bob Murray and coach Randy Carlyle couldn’t have imagined how quickly — and expertly — one of those men would capitalize on his opportunity.
Brandon Montour has been a revelation for the Ducks through 12 games, and even though Lindholm and Vatanen returned last week, the 23-year-old is still logging major ice time.
That’s partly because Cam Fowler went down with a knee injury last month, but also because Montour has been valuable to the team’s offense.