The Anaheim Ducks will be without their leading scorer for the foreseeable future.
Centre Leo Carlsson will be out three-to-five weeks after getting a procedure on his left thigh, the team announced Friday.
He had the procedure on a Morel-Lavallée lesion — a rare degloving injury in which skin and fat become separated from fascia tissue, leaving a fluid-filled space.
Carlsson has 18 goals and 44 points through 44 games while being a plus-three. He's just one point short of his career-high of 45 from last season in 32 fewer games.
The 21-year-old's injury also provides concern for Team Sweden at the Olympics, as Carlsson's status is now uncertain for the winter games.
Carlsson's extended absence is another setback for Anaheim, which has lost nine of its last 10 games after spending much of the season's first two-and-a-half months in first place in the Pacific Division.
The Ducks now sit sixth in the Pacific at 22-21-3.
-- With files from The Associated Press
