Ducks blog

Next season last for Ducks’ Selanne?

Dan Wood, Staff writer — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:21:55 +0000

An Associated Press story picked up by Canadian media outlets quotes Ducks right wing Teemu Selanne as saying in his native Finland that the 2009-10 NHL season will definitely be his last.

Selanne is celebrating his 39th birthday Friday, and certainly retirement would seem near. Selanne sat out most of the 2007-08 season after helping the Ducks to the 2007 Stanley Cup championship and has contemplating putting a cap on his brilliant career ever since.

Then again, Selanne has repeatedly said the past few seasons that he takes things one year at a time — and it’s certainly not unprecedented for something to be lost in translation from a European media report.

Former Duck Pahlsson lands (quietly) in Columbus

Curtis Zupke, Staff writer — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:57:36 +0000

Lost among the first-day free agent frenzy was a minor move that might have slipped by Ducks fans.

Former Ducks center Samuel Pahlsson (right) signed a reported three-year, $7.95 million deal with Columbus.

Pahlsson, 31, is still regarded as one of the top defensive forwards in the NHL, and he presumably is recovered from a bout of mononucleosis that he had with the Ducks when they traded him, along with defenseman Logan Stephenson and a conditional fourth-round draft pick to Chicago at the trade deadline for defenseman James Wisniewski and center Petri Kontiola.

Michael Arace of the Columbus Blue Jackets projected Pahlsson to play on a third line with R.J. Umberger and Raffi Torres.

Whoever he’s with, it will be interesting to see if Pahlsson can get back to his 2007 form, when he teamed with Rob Niedermayer and Travis Moen on the Ducks’ shutdown line.

“(Pahlsson) brings experience, winning experience,” Columbus general manager Scott Howson told the Dispatch.

“He can play against the top players in the league. He’ll probably play between 16 and 18 minutes a night and against all the top players in the league.

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Video: Chris Pronger highlights

Curtis Zupke, Staff writer — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:00:23 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

A presumable Philadephia Flyers fan put together this highlight clip package of Chris Pronger. Even though he was traded to Philadelphia last week, it works quite well as a Ducks highlight reel. Enjoy.

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Free agent notes

Mark Whicker, ocregister.com — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:21:35 +0000

_ The Ducks are going to miss the heck out of Todd Marchant if they can’t get him signed. He can center any line, he still skates, and he’s a big-time presence in a room that just lost Chris Pronger.

_ I wouldn’t worry about James Wisniewski. General manager Bob Murray has prepared for the prospect of matching an offer sheet for Wisniewski. If the sheet is excessive? Murray has told people that the “payback is rich,” or something that sounds like that.

_ Without my capology hat, I can’t calculate whether the Ducks can afford right winger Mikael Samuelsson, but they do like the Detroit sniper _ as they should, after watching him light it up against them the last few years. Samuelsson is a free agent and hasn’t gone anywhere yet.

_ Francois Beauchemin deserves the big contract that the Ducks can’t afford to give him. He plays maximum minutes, he’s spectacularly physical at times, and he can shoot. But he can also suffer the lapses that you don’t see from the other Ducks defensemen.

_ Defenseman Rob Scuderi played his fine Stanley Cup Final performance for all he’s worth, getting $13.6 million over four years from the Kings. Does this allow the Kings to trade Jack Johnson for a Dany Heatley or a Vincent Lecavalier? They still need another scorer.

_ Don’t write Chicago’s names on the Cup just yet. They did sign Marian Hossa but they lost Martin Havlat, and they lost goalie Nikolai Khabibulin to Edmonton.

_ The Blackhawks gave Hossa a 12-year contract. He’ll be 42 in that 12th year.

_ Nothing much seems to be happening in San Jose, although the Sharks did re-sign Ryane Clowe, Kent Huskins and Rob Blake. We always predict the Sharks are going to back up the truck every time they lose, and it never seems to happen.

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Plateau in sight for Selanne

Curtis Zupke, Staff writer — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:31:31 +0000

Teemu Selanne is on board for at least one more season with the Ducks, which makes this a good time to whip out the record book to see where he stands.

Selanne, 39, enters the 2009-10 season 18th on the all-time (regular season) career goal scoring list with 579. He is a pretty good bet to reach the 600-goal plateau (Selanne had 27 goals in 65 games last season) and pass his Finnish predecessor (and former Duck) Jarri Kurri.

Selanne is the third-leading active goal scorer. Here is the top 20 ….

Player	Games played	Goals
1. Wayne Gretzky	1487	894
2. Gordie Howe	1767	801
3. Brett Hull	1269	741
4. Marcel Dionne	1348	731
5. Phil Esposito	1282	717
6. Mike Gartner	1432	708
7. Mark Messier	1756	694
8. Steve Yzerman	1514	692
9. Mario Lemieux	915	690
10. Luc Robitaille	1431	668
11. Brendan Shanahan*	1524	656
12. Jaromir Jagr	1273	646
13. Dave Andreychuk	1639	640
14. Joe Sakic*	1378	625
15. Bobby Hull	1063	610
16. Dino Ciccarelli	1232	608
17. Jarri Kurri	1251	601
18. Teemu Selanne*	1132	579
19. Mike Bossy	752	573
20. Joe Nieuwendyk	1257	564
Mats Sundin	1346	564

*active player

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Four Ducks invited to Canada’s Olympic camp

Curtis Zupke, Staff writer — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:18:29 +0000

Ducks defensemen Scott Niedermayer and Francois Beauchemin and forwards Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry have been invited to Canada’s 2010 Olympics orientation camp.

The four were among 46 players announced Thursday for the camp to be held on Aug.24-27 in Calgary. The 2010 Winter Olympics are in February in Vancouver.

Niedermayer, who won a gold medal with Canada in the 2002 Olympics, is considered a strong candidate to be Canada’s captain.

Beauchemin, technically no longer Ducks’ property because he is an unrestricted free agent, returned from a knee injury this past season to help the Ducks make a run to the Western Conference semifinals.

Linemates Getzlaf and Perry, both 24, are trying to make their first Olympics team.

Chris Pronger, recently traded by the Ducks to Philadelphia, is also among the invitees. Former Duck Andy McDonald is also invited.

Two other Ducks, Bobby Ryan and Ryan Whitney, were invited earlier this week to Team USA’s Olympics orientation camp.

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Ducks ranked 11th in fan friendliness

Curtis Zupke, Staff writer — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:49:31 +0000

The Ducks are ranked 11th overall in the four major sports for fan friendliness, according to an ESPN study released Wednesday.

The Ducks, the top NHL team in last year’s study, ranked behind the Carolina Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings, Washington Capitals and St. Louis Blues among NHL teams, which took seven of the top 10 spots.

The Ducks’ neighbors down Katella Avenue, the Angels, ranked first.

ESPN The Magazine conducted the annual study to measure how much teams in the NBA, NHL, NFL and Major League Baseball “give back to the fans in exchange for all the time, money and emotion the fans invest in them.”

Teams were evaluated on categories bang for the buck (wins the past three years), fan relations, ownership, affordability, stadium experience, players (effort on the field and likability off it), coaching and title track record (championships won and expected to win in a fan’s lifetime).

ESPN.com polled more than 50,000 fans. Costs were calculated by the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center.

The Ducks received their highest marks for title track record and fan relations. They ranked in the top 75 percent in each category.

The Ducks have the 10th-lowest average ticket price in the NHL at $43.50, according to the latest study (October 2008) by Team Marketing Report.

That study also reports that the Ducks have the 12th-lowest fan cost index, which determines the average cost for four game tickets, two beers, two sodas, four hot dogs, parking, two game programs and two team caps ($274.50).

The Toronto Maple Leafs were the lowest ranked NHL team in ESPN’s study at No.120 out of 122 teams.

The Clippers took low honors at No.122.

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Ducks face other challenges after signing Niedermayer

Dan Wood, Staff writer — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:32:34 +0000

Ducks general manager Bob Murray achieved his foremost off-season objective Wednesday, securing defenseman Scott Niedermayer’s signature on a one-year contract.

The remaining items on Murray’s to-do list might prove more challenging.

Niedermayer, who became an unrestricted free agent at 9 a.m. Wednesday, needed only three hours to finalize terms of a one-year pact worth $6 million. While the base salary is down from the annual $6.75 million figure in the four-year deal Niedermayer signed with the Ducks in 2005, he can increase his earnings through bonus clauses based on team performance.

“Scotty was good about lowering the cap number to help us out,” said Murray, whose current projected roster for 2009-10 nonetheless includes 18 players at nearly $44 million. With probably four or five skaters yet to work into that mix, there is a fair bit of space beneath the NHL’s $56.8 million salary cap, but the Ducks’ internal budget is significantly less than that.

As it is, unrestricted free-agent defenseman Francois Beauchemin, whom Murray had heard spent Wednesday entertaining contract offers that included annual salaries in the $4 million to $5 million range, appears headed elsewhere.

“I expect he’s going to get a big number, and that’s the way it’s going to go,” Murray said. “It’s way out of my range.”

Right wing Rob Niedermayer probably is history, too, given that the Ducks have had no contract talks with his agent. Center Todd Marchant, a fellow checking-line mainstay, is also in limbo after having rejected a contract offer from the Ducks last week, Murray said.

The Ducks, who re-signed left wing-center Erik Christensen to a one-year deal late Tuesday night, are continuing negotiations with restricted free agent James Wisniewski, but a resolution there would still leave a need for at least one established defenseman.

In addition to the expected loss of Beauchemin, blue-line standout Chris Pronger went to the Philadelphia Flyers in Friday’s trade that fetched secondary scoring help in the form of right wing Joffrey Lupul and promising young defenseman Luca Sbisa.

Murray planned to follow through on his initial game plan to delay any further moves until after having monitored league-wide goings-on during the early stages of free agency. Wednesday’s activity featured an array of extravagant spending, activity Murray does not wish to join.

“I’m talking to a few people about a couple of interesting things,” Murray said.

While Scott Niedermayer, “a man of his word,” according to Murray, had indicated all along that he would return to the Ducks after committing Friday to play another NHL season, there were still a few anxious moments when he did not sign before the free-agent market officially opened.

“I think that was just more sort of the process,” Scott Niedermayer said on a conference call from his off-season home in British Columbia. “Sort of an agreement had been there for a while. I wasn’t fielding calls from anybody. I never even looked at that.

“Once the decision was made to come back, it wasn’t really a difficult one to come back to Anaheim. We’ve enjoyed it there. The family is very comfortable there. I have good friends on the team. I feel excited just to be part of that club. I believe we have a lot of talent. I’m looking forward to another fun year and hopefully winning our share of games.”

Scott Niedermayer, set to turn 36 next month, said he will continue to take his career one season at a time. He has done exactly that since winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player during the Ducks’ 2007 Stanley Cup championship drive and then sitting out nearly half of the ensuing season while contemplating retirement.

A four-time Stanley Cup winner, including three championships while with the New Jersey Devils, Scott Niedermayer is the all-time scoring leader among Ducks defensemen with 216 points, including 50 goals, in 291 games. He played in all 82 regular-season games last year, ranking third among NHL defensemen with 59 points, including 14 goals, and added three goals and 10 points in 13 playoff games.

Ducks likely to lose Beauchemin

Dan Wood, Staff writer — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:17:39 +0000

Unrestricted free-agent defenseman Francois Beauchemin appears headed for a destination other than Anaheim, while checking-line center Todd Marchant and right wing Rob Niedermayer might very well be, too.

Ducks general manager Bob Murray, speaking to Southern California media on a conference call Wednesday after the team announced the re-signing of unrestricted free-agent defenseman Scott Niedermayer to a one-year, $6 million contract, said he had heard that Beauchemin was entertaining offers in the range of $4 million to $5 million per season.

“I expect he’s going to get a big number, and that’s the way it’s going to go,” Murray said. “It’s way out of my range.”

Marchant, meanwhile, rejected a contract offer made by the Ducks last week, and the team has had no conversations regarding Rob Niedermayer with his Vancouver-based agent, Kevin Epp.

The Ducks “might” re-visit the Marchant negotiations, Murray said.

Contract talks are “ongoing” with restricted free-agent defenseman James Wisniewski, Murray said.

Despite tons of money being thrown around by NHL teams Wednesday, the Ducks planned to maintain a patient approach.

“I’m talking to a few people about a couple of interesting things,” Murray said.

Scott Niedermayer: Never any option but Ducks

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Scott Niedermayer: Never any option but Ducks

Dan Wood, Staff writer — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:54:39 +0000

While fans and media members alike might have become at least a bit antsy when he remained an unrestricted free agent for some three hours Wednesday, Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer said there was never any thought of going anywhere else.

And shortly after noon, official word came that Niedermayer had signed a one-year contract worth $6 million, plus potential bonuses based on team performance.

“I think that was just more sort of the process,” Niedermayer said, explaining the time frame of the deal in a conference call from his off-season home in British Columbia. “Sort of an agreement had been there for a while. There was never any real consideration about having today come. I wasn’t fielding calls from anybody. I never even looked at that.

“Once the decision was made to come back (to the NHL), it wasn’t really a difficult one to come back to Anaheim. We’ve enjoyed it there. The family is very comfortable there. I have good friends on the team. I feel excited just to be part of that club.”

For a third consecutive off-season, Niedermayer’s playing future had been engulfed in uncertainty. He sat out nearly half of the 2007-08 season while contemplating retirement, and then waited until late June last year and again this year, until Friday, before committing to a return.

“I just had to take some time,” Niedermayer said. “The year is long. When it’s over, you kind of need time to catch your breath. I think the last few years, having made that decision, I’ve probably enjoyed playing maybe more than I ever have, just realizing that it doesn’t go on forever. Maybe now I understand even more how fortunate we are to compete in the NHL.”

Still, Niedermayer said he plans to continue taking his career one year at a time, even if some observers have grown weary of what has become something of an ongoing soap opera.

“I’ve found myself in this situation too many times for people to hear about,” he said. “When I go on the ice, I do my job, try to help the team win and entertain. There’s really no hockey going on at the moment. If that’s a pain in somebody’s butt that I haven’t made a decision, I can’t control that. That doesn’t really bother me.”

Niedermayer expressed disappointment at the loss of fellow superstar defenseman and good friend Chris Pronger in Friday’s trade with the Philadelphia Flyers, but welcomed the return of sharp-shooting winger Joffrey Lupul and the addition of promising young defenseman Luca Sbisa in the same deal.

“I’ve been around long enough and you know there are pretty much changes every year,” he said. “It just sort of changes the look of our team. I’m comfortable with the guys we have and excited about the opportunity.”