Ducks defenseman Kurtis Foster will have a procedure later today at UCI Medical Center to remove a piece of wire from his left thigh. The wire was placed in his leg during the surgery that took place to repair Foster’s fractured left leg in March 2008. The wire was causing inflammation/irritation, and therefore will be removed.

Foster is expected to be out 2-4 weeks.Foster was acquired July 1 from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for defenseman Andy Sutton.Foster, 29 (11/24/81), collected 8-14=22 points with 45 penalty minutes (PIM) in 74 games with Edmonton last season. He finished tied for third on the Oilers in power play goals (5) and second in shots (182) while averaging 17:39 time-on-ice. A native of Carp, Ontario, Foster also led Edmonton defensemen in goals, and ranked third in scoring and appearances.Originally selected by Calgary in the second round (40th overall) of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, Foster has played eight NHL seasons with Atlanta (2002-04), Minnesota (2005-09), Tampa Bay (2009-10), and Edmonton (2010-11). In 331 career NHL games, the 6-5, 226-pound defenseman has scored 37-104=141 points with 248 PIM. A member of the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks of the American Hockey League (AHL) in 2004-05, Foster won the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award as the AHL’s Man of the Year for service to his local community in 2003-04. He was originally acquired by Anaheim from Atlanta in exchange for Niclas Havelid on June 26, 2004.