The Anaheim Ducks are heading into the 2023-24 season with a lot of hope, thanks in large part to adding an extremely promising prospect in Leo Carlsson with the second overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft. However, those hopes were quickly dashed on Saturday when it was announced that Carlsson picked up an injury at practice that could be serious.

A talented two-way center who has shown an ability to excel on both sides of the ice, Carlsson is immediately going to assume a big role with the Ducks, despite being an 18-year old rookie. After it initially looked like Carlsson could be forced to miss a decent chunk of time, Anaheim received a solid update on his status on Sunday afternoon, as it looks like he won't be expected to miss as much time as he was initially feared to be set to miss.

Via Elliotte Friedman:

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“Good news on Leo Carlsson. Anaheim’s talented rookie centre was not injured as badly as it looked in practice yesterday. Not sure on timeline, but not as long as initially feared.”

This is fantastic news for the Ducks, as missing Carlsson for an extended period of time would have been crushing for their upcoming campaign. The Ducks finished with the fewest points in the entire league last season with 58, so the hope is that Carlsson can provide the spark to help their rebuild take a step forward. He may not be on the ice to start the season, but it doesn't sound like Carlsson is going to be out for very long, which is exactly what the Ducks wanted to hear.