Healthy Again, Silfverberg Focused on Bounce-Back Season

For many across the hockey community, the offseason can tend to drag on endlessly, and this past summer was particularly challenging for Ducks winger Jakob Silfverberg.

Silfverberg’s season came to a screeching, unceremonious halt in April when the veteran winger underwent surgery for a torn labrum in his hip. An ever-steady presence in Anaheim’s lineup for the last eight seasons, the 30-year-old had played through the pain for years before, at last, enough was enough.

“You get to a point where it feels normal to have a bit of a nag and you try to push it aside,” Silfverberg said prior to making his 2021-22 preseason debut. “Last year, it reached the tip of that. We had to get it done.”

Originally acquired by the Ducks in the July 2013 trade that sent Bobby Ryan to Ottawa, Silfverberg quickly blossomed in Anaheim into one of the NHL’s premier defensive forwards. Eight years later, the Gävle, Sweden native has evolved into a two-way force and now ranks among the club’s all-time leaders in points (288), goals (136), shorthanded points (16) and shorthanded goals (10).

Nearly six months since the surgery, Silfverberg says he’s looking forward to skating without managing pain, something he believes will allow his play to match his high standards.

“I still feel like I have a lot left to give in the tank,” Silfverberg said. “I feel like I have some really good hockey in here for the next couple years.

“The difference is definitely noticeable to me.”

After going under the knife in April, Silfverberg and the Ducks’ training staff devised a plan to get the tenth-year pro prepared for training camp.

“The first few weeks I was kind of flowing through the drills, getting used to passing the puck,” Silfverberg said. “The last few weeks have been more 5-on-5 stuff and actual battles. Getting pushed and pushing guys.”

Silfverberg checked another box off his recovery checklist Wednesday, skating in Anaheim’s preseason bout with Arizona and recording a shot, a hit and a blocked shot in 16:22 of ice time. 

“This has been the end goal ever since day one,” he said. “Get back, get healthy and start playing in games again.”

Now entering his ninth season in Anaheim, Silfverberg’s return to the ice and dressing room is a welcome sight to Ducks teammates and coaches alike.

“I remember when I was in Vancouver, our goaltender [Jacob Markstrom] knew him well. I’d always ask him, ‘How can we get him up here? We love the way he plays so much,'” recalled Ducks assistant coach Newell Brown, who coached against Silfverberg with the Canucks for five seasons. “And Markstrom goes, ‘Well, they love him there too, so that’s going to be a tough one.'”

Back for his third stint in Anaheim, Brown is relieved he and Silfverberg are now fighting from the same corner.

“You can just see that he has the respect of his teammates,” Brown added. “His work ethic is fantastic. He’s a guy that quietly leads the charge. I’m excited to be a part of the team with him.”

Well aware a long 82-game season awaits him, Silfverberg is just excited to be back where he belongs, playing the sport he loves in front of the Ducks faithful.

“I think I played one game last season with fans,” he said. “It will be nice to see people in the building cheering for us. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”