Veteran right wing Teemu Selanne, the leading scorer in franchise history, will return to the Ducks next season, the team confirmed Saturday.
Selanne, set to turn 39 next week, signed a two-year contract before last season but had not committed to continuing his career until Saturday. He scored 27 goals and 54 points in 65 games last season, and added four goals and two assists in 13 Stanley Cup playoff games.
Selanne’s decision came one day after defenseman Scott Niedermayer informed the Ducks that he will play another NHL season, though he stands to become an unrestricted free agent Wednesday and still must reach terms on a new contract.
The return of Selanne, along with center Ryan Getzlaf and wingers Corey Perry, Bobby Ryan and newly obtained Joffrey Lupul, gives the Ducks five established top-six forwards for next season. The Ducks re-acquired Lupul in a Friday trade that sent veteran defenseman Chris Pronger to the Philadelphia Flyers.
Selanne is 21 goals short of 600 for his career, and has 1,212 points in 1,132 lifetime regular-season games. He is signed to a contract that will pay him $2 million next season, with a salary-cap hit of $2.625 million.
Related stories:
- Niedermayer will return, likely to Ducks
- Niedermayers not necessarily a package deal for Ducks
- Ducks land big package for Pronger
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“The message is clear that we really want to win right away, not five years from now,” Selanne said. “We’re not rebuilding. That was the news I was expecting. Obviously, Scotty’s decision was also part of it.”
Teemu Selanne-
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Welcome back Teemu and welcome back Joffrey. Now the Ducks have the makings of 2 scoring lines and some room under the salary cap. It is going to be a long summer waiting for the next season to start.