Havelid Out for the Season

The medical news went from bad to worse Wednesday for the Ducks.

Defenseman Niclas Havelid will be lost for the rest of the season after an MRI exam revealed he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and a partially torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee in Monday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Havelid will undergo surgery in about two weeks, giving the MCL time to heal, and is expected to be off the ice for six months. He should be fully recovered for training camp next September.

The team also learned left wing Mike Leclerc will be sidelined for up to a month after undergoing arthroscopic surgery to remove damaged cartilage from his right knee. Leclerc was injured in the third period of the Ducks’ 2-2 tie Dec. 28 against the Nashville Predators. He has tried to skate several times since the injury but felt pain on each occasion.

“It’s going to be a little more difficult than you might think to replace Havelid,” Coach Guy Charron said. “He’s been one of our most consistent defensemen all year.”

Of Leclerc, Charron said: “At least now we know what was wrong and they were able to fix it.”

Havelid, Leclerc, left wing Paul Kariya (broken right foot), center Andy McDonald (concussion) and center Steve Rucchin (post-concussion syndrome) did not play Wednesday against the Atlanta Thrashers.

Charron said it was “far-fetched” to think Kariya would be able to play Friday against Phoenix.

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Right wing Teemu Selanne was not selected to play in the NHL All-Star game for the first time in his career. He had played in seven consecutive games, tying Rick Martin for the second-longest streak to start a career. “I think it is disappointing,” Selanne said. “But I can use the extra rest too.”