Despres, 25, appeared in the team's season opener, but has since been sidelined with an upper body injury.
The move could be a sign that the team is close to a contract extension with restricted free-agent blue-liner Hampus Lindholm, as the LTIR provides teams with added cap relief.
According to CapFriendly.com, Despres carries a $3.7 million cap hit, while the Ducks have just $600,000 in cap space.
The Chicago Cubs won the National League pennant on Saturday night, ending generations of waiting 'til "next year" on the north side of Chicago.
With the Cubs advancing to their first World Series since 1945, here are the franchises that now own the longest finals droughts in North American sports.
Technically speaking, the dysfunctional Kings franchise owns the longest finals drought in North America, having not played for the NBA championship since defeating the New York Knicks in the 1951 NBA finals.
The catch, however, is that the Kings only moved to Sacramento in 1985 - they were the Rochester Royals when they last played for a title - so while Sacramento basketball fans may have already endured a lifetime's worth of misery, they aren't quite familiar with the true pain of a drought.
Defining drought moment: Entering Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference finals with a 3-2 lead over the back-to-back defending champion Lakers, the Kings were done in - at least in part - by some questionable officiating that led to a 40-25 free-throw advantage for L.A. and a 106-102 Lakers win.
Shaq, Kobe, and the Lakers completed the comeback in Sacramento a couple nights later, winning Game 7 in overtime en route to their third consecutive title.
For what it's worth, the city of Atlanta actually owns the NBA's longest Finals drought, having never made the NBA finals since the Hawks moved to Georgia in 1968.
Few franchises are as synonymous with losing as the Lions, who have never made a Super Bowl appearance, last played for a title when they won the 1957 NFL championship, and posted the only 0-16 season in NFL history in 2008.
Even more depressing, the Lions have only won a single playoff game since their last title, going 1-11 in postseason contests over the last 58 years.
Defining drought moment: Eddie Murray misses the potential game-winning field goal with five seconds remaining in a 24-23 NFC Divisional Playoff loss to the defending champion San Francisco 49ers in 1983. The Lions haven't enjoyed a playoff run as deep since.
The Leafs are celebrating their centennial season right now, but the latter half of that century of hockey has been played without a single Stanley Cup Finals appearance to show for it.
In fact, the self-proclaimed center of the hockey universe hasn't witnessed a Cup Final game since the NHL expanded beyond six teams only months after the Leafs' 1967 triumph.
Defining drought moment: Wayne Gretzky's obvious high stick to the face of Doug Gilmour - which drew blood - goes uncalled in overtime of Game 6 during the 1993 Campbell Conference final.
Instead of a power play that could have sent the Leafs to the Cup Final and an Original 6 matchup with the arch-rival Canadiens, they watched Gretzky score the OT winner moments later to force a Game 7. The Great One scored a hat trick two nights later in Toronto to send the Kings to Montreal.
Speaking of Montreal, the Expos played 36 pennant-less seasons before their 2005 move to D.C., where the Nationals have continued the trend by losing in the NLDS in each of their three postseason trips. In 48 seasons spanning two cities, the franchise has made the playoffs only four times, the NLCS only once, and has never played a single World Series game.
Washington's baseball heartbreak goes back even farther. From 1901-1960, the team that would eventually become the Minnesota Twins failed to advance to the World Series over its final 27 seasons in D.C. after winning it all in 1933. From 1961-71, Washington was home to the franchise that would eventually become the Texas Rangers, and didn't have a single postseason trip to show for it.
Defining drought moment (Montreal): A strike cancels the remainder of the 1994 season, with the Expos boasting an MLB-best 74-40 record and a six-game lead in the NL East.
Defining drought moment (D.C.): The Nationals take a 6-0 lead into the fourth inning and a 7-5 lead into the ninth inning against the Cardinals in Game 5 of their 2012 Division Series, but fall 9-7 to St. Louis in both games. Of note, 23-year-old All-Star Stephen Strasburg is shut down in early September in accordance with a team-imposed innings limit.
Colin Campbell, the NHL's executive vice president and director of hockey operations, told Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman that the latest possible time for puck drop would be 3:53 p.m. CT.
The game was originally scheduled to start just after 2 p.m. local time.
Currently on a six-game road trip, Smith returned to Arizona to be evaluated by team doctors. The 34-year-old missed 40 games last season after undergoing core muscle surgery.
In Smith's absence, the Coyotes turn to Louis Domingue, who has struggled to start the season, going winless in three games. The team has also recalled veteran netminder Justin Peters from the AHL.
A quick calculation of Mike Babcock's math has the Toronto Maple Leafs making the postseason.
Following Saturday's 5-4 shootout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, the Maple Leafs bench boss said, "Our goal is to always get six points in every five game segment here, and we've come up one short."
Should the team meet that goal, it works out to 98 points. Last season, three Eastern teams qualified for the playoffs with fewer than 98 points. The year prior, the Pittsburgh Penguins grabbed the last spot with 98 points.
The Maple Leafs have posted a 1-1-3 record this season, good for five points, with their lone win coming against the Boston Bruins.
As for the coach's goal, 98 points would mark a 29-point improvement over last year, and the team's best finish since a franchise-record 103 points in 2003-04.
"We've played one at home and four on the road, if I'm not mistaken," Babcock added. "We've managed to get points on the road. We could've won every game we've played in."
The Maple Leafs last qualified for the playoffs in 2013, their first appearance since 2004.
The team's next five-game segment begins Tuesday as the Maple Leafs take on the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Sunday, October 23:
Triple Threat
LW Milan Lucic (51K), C Connor McDavid (89K), RW Jordan Eberle (59K), Oilers (at Jets): The average total goal count of the past three outdoor NHL games has been seven. There should be some offense between the Oilers and Jets on a tolerable mid-fall afternoon in Winnipeg. The Oilers' top line is the most likely source for the majority of those seven goals.
LW Nick Ritchie (30K), C Ryan Kesler (51K), RW Corey Perry (93K), Ducks (vs. Canucks): Even with Ritchie's low salary it is impossible to include C Ryan Getzlaf in a stack of the Ducks' top line. Kesler replaces Getzlaf among the Ducks' top two stars, while Ritchie offers some exposure to the second power-play unit.
LW Jimmy Vesey (33K), C Derek Stepan (45K), RW Kevin Hayes (43K), Rangers (vs. Coyotes): Vesey and LW Rick Nash are listed at the same position in Squad Up. Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault's recent line juggling has Nash on the right side of the two cheaper players in this stack. Luckily, Hayes joins all three on the second power-play squad.
Bargain Plays
LW Kyle Connor (25K), Jets (vs. Oilers): With the high projected goal total in Sunday's Heritage Classic, Connor offers some-low risk exposure to the home team. He plays on the third line at 5v5, but he has a spot on the second power-play unit with LW Patrik Laine and C Mathieu Perreault. He has one assist and six shots on goal while averaging 15:27 in ice time.
C Mikael Granlund (34K), Wild (at Islanders): Granlund has just one assist but eight SOG through the Wild's opening five games. He is averaging more ice time per game than he has over any full season in his career, including a season-high 20:29 in Saturday's loss to the New Jersey Devils. The Islanders are allowing 2.80 goals per game.
D Johnny Boychuk (29K), Islanders (vs. Wild): Boychuk scored his first goal of the season in Friday's game, against the Arizona Coyotes. The injury to D Ryan Pulock will open up more power-play ice time, likely promoting Boychuk from the second unit. He already plays his 5v5 minutes with the first line and C John Tavares.
Top Fades
G Connor Hellebuyck (96K), Jets (vs. Oilers): The Oilers are tied for the league lead in averaging 4.00 goals per game through their first five contests. They rank only 21st in average SOG per game, offering opposing goalies limited save potential, while having elite finishing ability. Hellebuyck has allowed seven goals on just 51 shots in two starts.
C Ryan Getzlaf (84K), Ducks (vs. Canucks): While Getzlaf has five points in his first five games, his lofty salary can be avoided in favor of Kesler. Perry is the premier goal scorer on the Ducks' top line, and Kesler joins the two with the man advantage. With Getzlaf playing the distributor role, side with the goal-scoring potential of the cheaper Kesler.
RW Jakob Silfverberg (46K), Ducks (vs. Canucks): After a strong preseason, Silfverberg's offense has disappeared to open the regular season. He is still playing on the second line at 5v5 and on the second power play unit, but he has registered just a single SOG in each of his past two outings.
Contrarian Options
RW Drew Stafford (31K), Jets (vs. Oilers): Stafford tallied his first assist of the season in Wednesday's win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, but he registered just one SOG once again. He hasn't notched multiple shots in any of his first four games, but he remains on the top line at 5v5 and on the top power play unit. His opportunities will come.
C Charlie Coyle (37K), Wild (at Islanders): Coyle went point-less for the first time this season in Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Devils and G Cory Schneider. The Islanders' goaltending poses less of a threat to the Wild's offense. Coyle still managed three shots on goal in Saturday's loss, his fourth straight game with two or more.
LW Rick Nash (58K), Rangers (vs. Coyotes): Nash had his first multi-point game of the season in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Washington Capitals. His slow start to the season may be corrected by a reunion with Stepan. With Rangers Ws Chris Kreider and Mats Zuccarello having higher salaries, Nash offers a quality pivot.
