It’s hard to deal these days

In his two-plus years as the Ducks’ general manager, Brian Burke has shown his willingness to make a bold move to improve the team.

Not all have worked out. (Jeff Friesen for a second-round pick?) But then there are deals such as the one for Chris Pronger that more than make up for those that fail.

The toughest thing may be the inability to make a trade, which Burke is experiencing at the moment. The Ducks aren’t scoring, and fixing what ails them is easier said than done.

“You look at the paucity of trades in the NHL. It’s cap-related,” Burke said. “It’s hard to make deals now in this system. If you look at the number of deals in a cap system, it’s down dramatically from three and four years ago.

“When you’re talking to everybody about a deal, it’s not only got to line up for your money, it’s got to line up for his money too. It’s not just us having a hard time making a deal. It’s everybody.”

The Ducks have already been shut out three times, and they’re averaging only two goals a game. Finding someone to help replace the 77 goals that Teemu Selanne and Dustin Penner produced last season has been a chore.

Add in the fact that forward Todd Bertuzzi and defenseman Mathieu Schneider are still out and the Ducks, at present, have nothing to show for filling the holes left by Selanne and Scott Niedermayer, who continue to mull retirement.

With forward Rob Niedermayer and Ryan Getzlaf hurt as well, the Ducks have players worth a combined $12 million this season sitting on the sidelines.

“In my mind, we don’t know what kind of a team we have yet. We haven’t had everyone on the ice together. I don’t think too many teams can compete long-term with that kind of money in the press box,” Burke said, referring to where sidelined players sit at games.

Handicapping his efforts may be the fact that it is still early in the season. The Ducks, in seeking to land a scorer, have some viable assets they could part with, notably goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov, top prospect Bobby Ryan and a 2008 first-round pick.

Burke said he is regularly talking to teams but insisted that he’s not about to panic despite the 4-7-1 start.

“Teams are still assessing their groups,” he said. “And I know what this group can do. I’m not going to quit on this group just because we’re banged up. They deserve more respect than that. We still need help up front even when we’re healthy. We’re still looking. But there’s nothing even imminent. I’m not even close to anything.”

The Ducks went through a light workout Friday. Rob Niedermayer and Getzlaf stayed off the ice to nurse their respective groin and wrist injuries.

But the biggest development was Schneider, who skated for the first time since breaking a bone in his right ankle during his first exhibition with his new team.

Schneider skated at what he called 60% of normal tempo for about 20 minutes. He hopes to begin practicing with the team, either today or early next week.

“I was really happy with the way it felt,” he said. “Obviously I have some work to do still. I felt a little shaky on it. But for the first day out there, I was really happy.”

The news isn’t as promising for Bertuzzi, who Coach Randy Carlyle said is still unable to work out because of lingering symptoms from his concussion suffered Oct. 14. Bertuzzi was unavailable for comment.

eric.stephens@latimes.com