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Cam Fowler of the Ducks returns to the lineup; Urho Vaakanainen was placed on injured reserve

The Anaheim Ducks announced two roster moves on Wednesday that will see veteran defenseman Cam Fowler return to the lineup while young blue-liner Urho Vaakanainen was placed on injured reserve.

Fowler has missed the last 11 games with an upper-body injury, his last appearance being a 5-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks in early November. This season, Fowler has played in 12 games and received two assists.

Originally selected 12th overall by Anaheim in the 2010 NHL Draft, the 32-year-old Windsor, Ontario native spent his entire career with the Ducks, logging 986 games in which he scored 96 goals and 359 assists for 455 points. According to PuckPedia, Fowler is under contract through 2025-26 and has an average annual value of $6.5 million.

As for Vaakanainen, the 25-year-old Finnish defensive lineman was limited to five games this season after missing the last eight games in Anaheim due to an upper body complaint. Earlier this season, Vaakanainen was also ruled out for nine games in a row. In his five appearances, Vaakanainen has received one assist while averaging more than 13 minutes of ice time per game.

Anaheim originally acquired Vaakanainen from the Boston Bruins as part of the 2022 deal that saw the Ducks part ways with former rearguard Hampus Lindholm. In the same deal, Anaheim added Boston’s first-round pick in 2022 as well as second-round picks in 2023 and 2024.

Of note, the 2022 first-round pick was center Nathan Gaucher, who currently competes with the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. A graduate of the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL, Gaucher has a single point in 18 appearances with the Gulls, his second professional season after recording 25 points in 72 appearances with San Diego a year ago.

At 10-10-3 on the season, the Ducks sit at the bottom of the Pacific Division but are just five points out of the second wild card spot in the Western Conference.

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