Can the Ducks Survive without Silfverberg?

Well, my Ducks certainly got off to a somewhat poor start to the road trip. They lost their first two games to Toronto and Montreal and narrowly beat Ottawa in Ottawa. But that victory came with a price.

Jakob Silfverberg has a broken hand after being slashed in third period of the victory in Ottawa and will miss four to six weeks. Silfverberg ranks fourth on the Ducks with seven points and plays on a line with Teemu Selanne.

This comes just as Dustin Penner is scheduled to return from his concussion. Also, third-ranked Mathieu Perreault is day-to-day after spraining his wrist in that same game.

Although injuries are already starting to happen for the Ducks, losing Silfverberg might be a huge loss for a team that relies on his maneuverability and shooting to help them win games. Although it might be a huge loss, I think the Ducks can stay afloat in that amount of time. Penner is coming back and although he's not as agile and quick as Silfverberg, he can still produce and that might help the Ducks in those weeks. The Ducks still have Getzlaf, Perry, and Selanne who can still score and Patrick Maroon is also contributing in some big ways as well as goaltender Frederik Andersen.

I don't think they'll have a real problem in the next couple of games. They have Columbus (who isn't really that good), Philadelphia (who's been terrible), and Buffalo (who can't seem to even win) in their next few games. I think they can pull off a couple wins and stay right there with the Sharks and the Avalanche in the West. It'll be an interesting couple of weeks, but I think the Ducks can stay afloat and continue to win.