His club first had to qualify for the postseason, no easy task considering how tightly contested the spots were.
Of course, the Ducks accomplished that goal, but Fowler was injured before they even clinched a playoff berth. He missed the team's final three regular-season games because of a left shoulder injury and remained on the mend Saturday as the Ducks lost to the San Jose Sharks 3-2 in a first-round series at Honda Center.
There is hope, though. Coach Randy Carlyle expects Fowler to resume skating soon, and he hasn't been ruled out for the first round.