Ducks Roster Updates: Poehling to IR, McQueen Recalled, Helleson to Debut, Gauthier Day-to-day

The Anaheim Ducks defeated the Calgary Flames on Saturday by a score of 4-2, and those two points they earned in the standings would prove costly, as they suffered two injuries to two key forwards in that game. 

Star winger Cutter Gauthier left the game after just five shifts and 2:18 TOI with an upper-body injury. At the 5:35 mark of the third period and with the score tied at 2-2, third-line center Ryan Poehling was sent to lead a shorthanded 2-on-1. A diving Zayne Parekh took away the passing lane, and Poehling potted a shot by Dustin Wolf, but Parekh tripped up Poehling, and the latter collided with the goalpost. Poehling left the ice with assistance and did not return, designated with a lower-body injury.

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Poehling left Calgary, walking without assistance, and underwent further evaluation on Monday. It’s been determined he’ll miss the next 6-8 weeks with a sprained MCL.

Gauthier ran through early flow-drill portions of the Ducks’ practice on Monday, upon their return to Orange County, but left the ice before the line rushes and systems portion of practice. He will remain out of the lineup, did not participate in Tuesday’s morning skate, and is listed as “day-to-day” with an upper-body injury.

Defenseman Drew Helleson played just half of the Ducks’ opening preseason game on Sept. 20 before he sustained a lower-body injury that forced him to miss the rest of training camp and be placed on IR to start the season. He’s been practicing with the team for the past week, skated on a pair with Pavel Mintyukov during Monday’s practice and Tuesday’s morning skate, and is expected to be activated off IR later on Tuesday. In the evening, he’ll likely make his season debut against the visiting Flames. 

Ahead of Tuesday’s transactions, the Ducks reassigned defenseman Travis Mitchell to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. Following Poehling’s diagnosis, he’s been placed on IR, and prospect Roger McQueen (10th overall in 2025) was recalled from the AHL and is projected to debut on Tuesday vs. Calgary. 

Through the Gulls’ first four games of the season, McQueen has tallied three points (3-0=3). He’s still only played 64 total games (WHL, NCAA, AHL) since the start of the 2024-25 season, following a nagging back injury. 

In the year since the Ducks drafted him, he’s refined the details of his game and features a pro-ready skill set and frame (6-foot-5, 206 pounds). His defining trait is his size, but he has above-average puck skills and a heavy, quick release. His stride isn’t technically perfect, but he covers a vast amount of ice nonetheless, and he’s using it more economically on both sides of the puck.

The layer he most requires to attain if he’s to reach his full potential is the ability to dictate play with the puck on his stick. He’s improved his small-area skill, both in transition and on the cycle, but puck touches and reps will prove all-important for his ultimate development. 

He’s projected to debut on a line with veterans AJ Greer and Frank Vatrano, two high-energy forecheckers who can, in theory, win pucks and afford space for McQueen to operate. High-skill give-and-go sequences may be off the table, with a more simplified offense potentially being deployed during McQueen’s initial “ironing out” process in the NHL. 

Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville has been known to shuffle lines frequently to generate new looks for his depth chart, so it will be curious to monitor McQueen’s usage as the early season progresses with Poehling sidelined. 

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