The Anaheim Ducks blue line has taken a big hit as Francois Beauchemin is likely to miss the remainder of the season after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee.
The injury occurred during the third period of Friday's loss to the Nashville Predators.
"This is an unfortunate injury for Francois and we feel badly for him," Ducks executive vice president and general manager Bob Murray said in a statement.
"However, knowing his character as a player and person, we know he will rebound from this and return to the ice at full strength. Our team has faced adversity before and we expect everyone to step up in his absence."
The 27-year old Beauchemin was enjoying an excellent season for the Ducks with four goals and one assist in 18 games while averaging over 25 minutes of ice time per game.
The Sorel, Quebec native was originally a third round pick by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. In 244 career games, Beauchemin has 21 goals and 69 assists.
