Anaheim seemed to make do with a cobbled-together roster for a brief moment, but things are starting to unravel. It’s hard to blame them, given that names like Ryan Getzlaf, Hampus Lindholm, Patrick Eaves, Ondrej Kase, Sami Vatanen, and Ryan Kesler dot the injured reserve. For now, head coach Randy Carlyle gets the benefit of the doubt. To perhaps no one’s surprise, he’s tried to weather the injury storm with an ultra-conservative approach.
Instead of dipping into the AHL reserves for some scoring help, he’s entrusted his third line of Chris Wagner-Dennis Ramussen/Derek Grant-Logan Shaw to shoulder a heavier burden, while the fourth line plays extremely limited minutes.