ST. PAUL, Minn. — Ondrej Kase’s numbers aren’t particularly eye-catching. He had three goal and eight assists in 24 games before he and the Ducks faced the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, modest totals for a right wing many in the organization believe is capable of one day delivering so much more.
Not that the Ducks are disappointed, mind you. They are not.
In fact, Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said he was quite pleased with Kase’s play in matching 3-2 losses Sunday to the Winnipeg Jets and Friday to the Washington Capitals. Kase was a blur on the ice in each game, creating havoc with his speed and tenacity.
Kase was scoreless against the Jets, but had an assist against the Capitals.
“I think Ondrej has played a real solid couple of games here,” Eakins said. “I think he’s a really dedicated kid. I think we got him up into the 17-minute range in the last game. I think that’s always a good thing to look at where his minutes are. It usually reflects how he’s playing.
“He’s certainly a guy, for me, who hasn’t produced as much as he can. I know he has high expectations of himself when it comes to production, as do we as an organization. I still think there’s lots of time for him to achieve those goals.”
Kase, 24, set a pretty high standard for himself when he had 20 goals and 18 assists in 66 games in 2017-18, his second season in the NHL. Injuries, including a concussion that delayed the start of last season, limited him to 11 goals and nine assists in 30 games in 2018-19.
Kase excelled when teamed with center Adam Henrique and left wing Nick Ritchie, but with Ritchie sidelined for between six and 10 weeks because of a sprained knee, their line will have a different look. Max Comtois joined the line Sunday against Winnipeg.
“They played together before I got here,” Eakins, in his first season as Ducks coach, said of Kase and Henrique. “They’ve played very well together as a tandem. When you’re looking for production, you often look back to those pairs or those lines that have worked in the past.
“It goes back to those intangibles.”
Eakins also said he would stick with Comtois in place of Ritchie for now, keeping the line together for Tuesday’s game against Minnesota. Comtois, 20, is another player the Ducks envision one day becoming a big producer as they continue to turn over their roster in the coming seasons.
“Max can be a dangerous player,” Eakins said. “All we’re encouraging Max to do is bring that swagger that he had when he played junior, when he was the world junior championships and when he came to play with us in San Diego (of the AHL last season).
“He doesn’t need to tiptoe around in this league. He’s a very good player.”
CELEBRATION NIGHT
The Wild celebrated Mikko Koivu’s 1,000th NHL game Tuesday, four games after it actually happened Dec. 1 against the Dallas Stars. Minnesota had been on the road until Tuesday and Koivu had been sidelined by an unspecified lower-body injury.
Minnesota coach Bruce Boudreau coached Koivu while with the Wild and also older brother, Saku, when he coached the Ducks. They are the sixth set of siblings to play in 1,000 or more games in the NHL. Saku Koivu played 1,124 games, including 332 in five seasons with the Ducks.
“They’re both alike in so many ways,” Boudreau said. “They both care so much about the game. They both come prepared to play every night. They both give it all they’ve got, every chance they’ve got. They’re so competitive. When you’re losing, it’s not fun to be around either one.
“Both are deserving of 1,000 games.”
