Troy Terry likely to make season debut vs. Predators

The Ducks winger took regular turns at practice Tuesday, and the coach sounded like a guy filling out a lineup card, not managing expectations.

This wasn't some tweak. Terry had surgery in June for a chronic hip impingement and a labral tear, and the original recovery timeline ran into late November or early December. Anaheim put him on long-term injured reserve on September 30, so he still has to be activated before he can actually take a shift Wednesday.

The ramp-up came fast once it started. Terry was back in a full practice with the team by the start of November, and he said it was just fun to be back with the guys and feel like part of the team again. By Tuesday he was skating on the third line and had a spot on the second power-play unit, so he's walking straight into real minutes.

Even the people who cover the team every day didn't see it coming this soon. One Ducks beat writer owned it publicly and said he'd figured Terry wouldn't play until after Thanksgiving.

Andrew Knoll

@AndrewKnollNHL

Looks like I was dead wrong, I figured we would not see him until after Thanksgiving. Awesome news for an awesome guy.

Eric Stephens

@IcemanAthletic

Troy Terry is "likely" to make his season debut tomorrow for Ducks against Nashville, per Joel Quenneville, after lengthy recovery from offseason hip surgery. Took regular turns on third line today.

Why it matters: Terry is a real top-6 talent stuck in a third-line spot while his hip catches up. He put up 19 goals and 57 points in 61 games last season, with 161 shots on net. A team that's been playing without that kind of scoring just got it back weeks early, and a 2nd power-play unit with Terry on it looks a lot different than one without him.

What to watch Wednesday: first, whether he actually gets activated off LTIR. Then how many minutes Quenneville gives him in his first game since surgery, and how fast he moves back up the lineup. 'Likely' isn't a lock, but it's a lot better than December.