When Antoine Vermette signed a two-year, $3.5-million deal with the Ducks after the 2016 season, this is certainly not what he envisioned.
But it's a predicament he's all too familiar with, and one he was reacquainted with Tuesday.
Vermette wasn't in his usual spot centering the fourth line. He wasn't on the ice at all. And he wasn't nursing any ailments.
The Quebec native was one of just three Ducks to suit up in every game this season, but coach Randy Carlyle made the call to sit Vermette in favor of Derek Grant, who had been a healthy scratch himself in every contest since Jan.