When it rains, it rains. For Frank Vatrano, it might as well have been hail. Entering the first season of a three-year extension he signed a little over a year ago with the Ducks, Vatrano was expected to play for Joel Quenneville again. Quenneville was someone Vatrano previously knew from playing under him with the Florida Panthers. Vatrano was also coming off his third straight 40-point season, his tenure as a Duck being the most productive of his career.
However, not everything has been easy for Vatrano in 2025-2026. He’s having by far his worst statistical season since becoming a full-time NHL player, relegated to the fourth line and barely accumulating minutes on special teams. His average time on ice (12:21) is the lowest since the 2021-22 season, when he played for the Panthers.
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To make matters even worse, Vatrano injured his shoulder on Dec. 27 against the Los Angeles Kings after his skate got caught in the ice and hit the boards. He did not return to the game and the Ducks announced on December 31 that Vatrano would be out for approximately six weeks with a broken shoulder.
December 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, United States; Los Angeles Kings right winger Adrian Kempe (9) is defended by Anaheim Ducks right winger Frank Vatrano (77) as he handles the puck in the first period at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Images by Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn
“My immediate reaction was, ‘Am I paralyzed?’ I entered it quite (dangerously). I went neck first, and you were always taught as a kid that when you go into the boards, you don’t go in (with your head tilted), you just kind of release, and that’s what I did. I gave up and let my shoulder take over. I’m lucky to have learned this at a young age, because I don’t know where I would have been if I hadn’t known how to protect myself from the injury I suffered. It could have been much worse.
The Ducks went 9-8-1 in the 18 games Vatrano missed, matching their seven-game losing streak with a seven-game winning streak. They finished the pre-Olympic part of the season with two consecutive victories.
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“I think the whole league has been through that this year, with losing streaks and whatnot,” Vatrano said. “We managed to crawl out of it, it was a team effort to get out of it. We didn’t like the way we were playing. I think we were playing too risky. I think we refined some things defensively. We know we can score goals, but we want to keep the puck out of the net, so I think we did a good job in that area. We played really hard defensively and overall we’re a tough team to play against.”
December 7, 2025; Anaheim, California, United States; Anaheim Ducks right wing Frank Vatrano (77) drives against the Chicago Blackhawks during the second period at Honda Center. Mandatory credit: Corinne Votaw-Imagn Images
“Nobody ever wants to watch from above (in the press box), but I think when you’re watching from above, you can kind of see the game from a completely different perspective. Things are kind of slowed down up there. You see the plays developing and you put that in your head when you’re on the ice. You have extra plays to make and you have extra time, so you definitely benefit from that side of things.”
The Olympic break gave Vatrano enough time to recover from his injury without missing more games than he would have during a normal NHL season. Although coming out of the break may feel like a mental reset of his season, he prefers to think about ways he can have a positive impact on the team, even if his individual performance hasn’t been up to his standard.
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“When things aren’t going well, sometimes other things happen. That’s what happened to me. When things aren’t going well on the ice, you either get hurt or something happens. You never really want to reset. You always want to be able to help the team, no matter how the season is going for you. You want to feel (like you’re) part of the group and help them move forward. To take the positive out of it, now’s the time for me to sit down and work on my game a little bit and try to get back a little bit.
November 8, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, United States; Anaheim Ducks right wing Frank Vatrano (77) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
“Frankie makes us work hard, gives us an honest effort,” Quenneville said. “One of the guys (who’s) highly regarded (and gives us) enthusiasm. Whether it’s his shooting or his production, it’s gotten a little out of control, and I think he needs to feel good and have a little confidence in his game and with the puck on his stick, go from there.”
With Vatrano and Leo Carlsson (Morel-Lavallée injury) back in the fold, this is the closest the Ducks have been to full health since training camp. Quenneville will have plenty of options to choose from when crafting its rosters moving forward.
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