ANAHEIM – The first sign that something was perplexingly wrong for Patrick Eaves came, curiously, on a night that looked pretty good on the scoresheet.



It was the fourth game of the season for the Ducks, and his first. Eaves took a neat pass from defenseman Josh Manson and buried a shot past New York Islanders goaltender Jaroslav Halak.



It was something that happened 32 times the season before in Eaves’ breakout goal-scoring campaign.



But for anyone actually watching the game, it was clear Eaves was not himself. Friends and family flooded the inbox of his wife, Katie, wondering why his game was so out of sync.



“They were texting me, ‘What’s wrong with Patrick? Is he OK?’” Katie said.



It turns out the answer was no. He was not OK. Far from OK.



“I was mad because I couldn’t play the way I wanted to. I couldn’t skate,” Eaves said. “I was avoiding contact. I...