Ducks activate Andreas Lilja, send Luca Sbisa to AHL

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The Ducks on Saturday put defenseman Andreas Lilja on the active roster after he received his work visa and assigned defenseman Luca Sbisa to the Syracuse Crunch, Anaheim’s primary development affiliate in the AHL.

Sbisa, 20, played two games for Anaheim this season, going scoreless. The Swiss defenseman hasn’t been able yet to win a full-time job in the NHL during parts of three seasons, first with the Philadelphia Flyers and then with Anaheim.

Selected by the Flyers in the first round (19th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, the 6-foot-2 Sbisa was acquired by the Ducks in the Chris Pronger trade in June 2009. That trade also brought right wing Joffrey Lupul back to Anaheim, along with a first-round selection in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft (Kyle Palmieri), a first-round selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft (Emerson Etem), and a conditional third-round selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

The Ducks signed Lilja on Monday but had to wait for immigration issues to be resolved. The longtime Detroit Red Wings defenseman went to training camp with San Jose on a tryout but was not offered a contract. The defense-depleted Ducks signed the 35-year-old Swede to a one-year contract.

-- Debbie Goffa