Center Chris Wagner finds his way back to the Ducks after two side trips to the waiver wire

From two stints in limbo to stability. From the Colorado winter back to Southern California in the spring. Chris Wagner has come full circle in time to help the Ducks.

Five weeks ago, Wagner was at home on his couch after the Colorado Avalanche waived him. It was the second time he’d been waived this season, the other by the Ducks in November. But Anaheim claimed him back on Feb. 25 and recalled him this week in the wake of several injuries that have pressed the fourth-line forward into service.

It’s a long way from the couch.

“You sit there for 24 hours and there’s a trillion thoughts going through your head, but once I got the call that they’d take me back, I was kind of relaxed,” Wagner said. “I know what this place is all about and I was happy to be back.”

Wagner, 24, finally can ease his mind after signing a two-year contract extension announced Friday. He is expected to help ease the loss of five regular Ducks players with five regular-season games left, starting Sunday with a big test against Dallas.

Wagner was running on adrenaline Friday in his first NHL game since Feb. 21 and recorded his first point as a Duck. Coach Bruce Boudreau said Wagner was probably the team’s best forward in a loss to Vancouver.

“I want to make an impression before the playoffs start, and I think I did that,” Wagner said.

A two-way center who played in two playoff games for the Ducks last season, Wagner said limbo had been difficult mentally this season but he’s in a better place to focus on hockey.

The extension was confirmation that the Ducks wanted to keep him all along.

“It kind of says, ‘We want you here,’” Wagner said. “For sure, it definitely helps me relax a little bit.”

The Ducks are hardly rounding into postseason form and Andrew Cogliano said a challenging opponent like Dallas is needed “for guys to just sharpen up a little bit” following seven straight games against non-playoff teams.

“Confidence-wise, this is a big game for us because this is the best team in the conference,” Cogliano said. “This is the best team for a reason. If we can play at a high level against them and compete with them, I think we’ll show that we’ve come a long way through the season. But lately, we haven’t done that.”

Etc.

Defenseman Shea Theodore was reassigned as Hampus Lindholm returned to practice after an illness.

Goalie Frederik Andersen skated on his own, Boudreau said, three days after he suffered a concussion. Brandon Pirri (upper-body injury) did not skate and Boudreau did not have an update.

Lindholm on teammate and roommate Rickard Rakell recovering from an appendectomy. “I’ll get him back — [I’ll] make him some meatballs.”

DUCKS NEXT UP

VS. DALLAS

When: Sunday, 6 p.m.

On the air: TV: Prime; Radio: 830

Update: The Stars are 6-1 since Tyler Seguin went down with an Achilles’ injury. Dallas is the first team with three or more 30-goal scorers in a season since New Jersey and San Jose in 2011-12.