Niedermayer leans toward retirement

Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer on Sunday gave the strongest indication yet that he might indeed retire but gave no hint as to when he would make a final decision.

In a conference call with reporters, Niedermayer acknowledged that “ ‘strongly’ is a fair word” of his inclination to call it quits.

In his first extensive comments on the subject, the four-time Stanley Cup winner acknowledged that he is vacillating, saying his thinking “goes sort of in waves and ups and downs.”

“It’s a big decision,” Niedermayer said, speaking from his off-season home in Canada. “Obviously, everyone goes through it. I’m trying to give it the due respect and every consideration that every part of it deserves.”

Niedermayer, 33, has been seriously contemplating retirement since the Ducks won the Cup last month. He updated General Manager Brian Burke in an 8 a.m. telephone call before the start of NHL free agency, explaining how he was leaning toward ending his career.

The Ducks quickly came up with a contingency plan in case Niedermayer does hang up his skates for good, signing Detroit Red Wings defenseman Mathieu Schneider to a two-year contract worth $11.25 million.

Burke, who said he thinks Niedermayer is struggling over his decision, acted quickly after that phone call, which came one hour before the free-agency period officially began.

“This was the mark of a captain to make that call,” Burke said. “In my mind it changed the equation dramatically. For us to let Mathieu Schneider go by the boards, it didn’t make any sense.”

Burke said he was given the green light by Ducks Chief Executive Michael Schulman to pursue Schneider, meaning ownership may go above its $44-million payroll threshold if Niedermayer does return.

Teemu Selanne also faces his own retirement decision and, if he were to return, Burke would probably have to ask the 37-year-old sniper to sign a one-year, bonus-laden deal with a discounted base salary that would fit in the Ducks’ budget.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Burke said.

Niedermayer was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner after leading the Ducks to a five-game victory over the Ottawa Senators in the Stanley Cup finals.

Even though he has two years and $13.5 million left on his contract, Niedermayer said he might be out of challenges after accomplishing everything he wanted to in his career.

He is the only player in NHL history to have won a Stanley Cup, an Olympic gold medal, a world junior title and Memorial Cup (the top title in Canadian junior hockey) along with titles in the World Cup and world championships.

And about four weeks ago he watched his brother Rob hoist the Cup for the first time, fulfilling a wish made three years ago when they played for Canada at the world championships. They were the first brothers to win the Cup together since Brent and Duane Sutter won with the New York Islanders in 1983.

That, he said, may have come sooner than expected.

“That sort of brought things a little quicker” to the forefront, he said of winning the title.

The Ducks’ triumph last season, however, left the defenseman in a more reflective mood. Long after their 6-2 Game 5 victory over Ottawa, he and his wife, Lisa, stood at center ice and stared around at the then-empty Honda Center.

“I have had so many great moments in hockey,” Niedermayer said Sunday, looking back on that victory night. “In some ways, I’d sound somewhat greedy in wanting more.”

Schneider, who played with the Kings from 2000-03, became an unrestricted free agent after spending the last three-plus seasons with Detroit. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound New York City native had 11 goals and 41 assists in 68 games last season.

At 38, Schneider has proved to be a reliable puck-moving defenseman. He has 200 goals and 663 points with six teams, including the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers.

“He’s a quality player,” Burke said. “He’s a character person, an NHL player who can really shoot the puck and can run a power play.”

Schneider did not play when the Red Wings played host to the Ducks in the Western Conference finals because of a broken wrist suffered in the San Jose series. His absence was seen as a key reason why Detroit wasn’t able to beat the Ducks despite having had home-ice advantage.

The Red Wings had been trying to re-sign the veteran, but the Ducks were keenly interested in him, looking for insurance should Niedermayer retire.The interest was mutual -- Schneider has maintained an off-season home in Manhattan Beach.

“When the call came in, we were very excited,” said Schneider, who won a Cup with Montreal in 1993. “The biggest priority is to win the Stanley Cup again.

“In my eyes, there are three or four teams that are top contenders. I was on one last year and now I’m going to be on one again next year. Or the next two years.”

Schneider will make $5.5 million in the coming season and $5.75 million in 2008-09. The Ducks also have Chris Pronger, Francois Beauchemin and Sean O’Donnell signed through the next two seasons.

eric.stephens@latimes.com

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Insurance plan

On Sunday, the Ducks signed Mathieu Schneider in case Scott Niedermayer decides to retire before next season. Here’s how Schneider’s and Niedermayer’s career regular season statistics compare:

*--* SCOTT NIEDERMAYER Season Team GP G A Pts. 91-92 New Jersey 4 0 1 1 92-93 New Jersey 80 11 29 40 93-94 New Jersey 81 10 36 46 94-95 New Jersey 48 4 15 19 95-96 New Jersey 79 8 25 33 96-97 New Jersey 81 5 30 35 97-98 New Jersey 81 14 43 57 98-99 New Jersey 72 11 35 46 99-00 New Jersey 71 7 31 38 00-01 New Jersey 57 6 29 35 01-02 New Jersey 76 11 22 33 02-03 New Jersey 81 11 28 39 03-04 New Jersey 81 14 40 54 05-06 DUCKS 82 13 50 63 06-07 DUCKS 79 15 54 69 Totals 1,053 140 468 608

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*--* MATHIEU SCHNEIDER Season Team GP G A Pts. 87-88 Montreal 4 0 0 0 89-90 Montreal 44 7 14 21 90-91 Montreal 69 10 20 30 91-92 Montreal 78 8 24 32 92-93 Montreal 60 13 31 44 93-94 Montreal 75 20 32 52 94-95 Montreal 30 5 15 20 Islanders 13 3 6 9 95-96 Islanders 65 11 36 47 Toronto 13 2 5 7 96-97 Toronto 26 5 7 12 97-98 Toronto 76 11 26 37 98-99 Rangers 75 10 24 34 99-00 Rangers 80 10 20 30 00-01 KINGS 73 16 35 51 01-02 KINGS 55 7 23 30 02-03 KINGS 65 14 29 43 Detroit 13 2 5 7 03-04 Detroit 78 14 32 46 05-06 Detroit 72 21 38 59 06-07 Detroit 68 11 41 52 Totals 1,132 200 463 663

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Sources: Anaheim Ducks; NHL.com