NHL DRAFT : Gretzky’s Shadow Is Cast Over Kings’ Situation

Wayne Gretzky is everywhere.

Minutes after the Kings’ loss in the Stanley Cup final, he stole the attention from Montreal by hinting at retirement.

And here, at the NHL meetings, anyone with any King connection cannot walk more than a few steps before being asked about Gretzky’s future.

Now, his specter even looms over entry drafts of the Kings and the new Mighty Ducks.

Nearly five years after the Kings got Gretzky from Edmonton, they are still paying for him. They owe the Oilers their first-round selection--16th overall--in today’s entry draft. So their first chance to make a pick for themselves--unless they trade--will be in the second round with the 42nd selection. They also have their choices in the nine other rounds, plus the first selection in the fifth round.

Barring a last-minute trade and a monumental change of heart, the Ottawa Senators are expected to select center Alexandre Daigle from the Victoriaville Tigers as the No. 1 pick. If the Ducks don’t make a trade to move up to the second or third spot, they will have the fourth or fifth choice, depending on a coin toss before the draft.

Anaheim’s first amateur player might be left wing Paul Kariya, 18, of the University of Maine. Kariya, 5 feet 10 and 158 pounds, has excelled at every level. He played on Team Canada’s gold medal-winning world junior team and followed up by leading Maine to the NCAA title and becoming the first freshman to win the Hobey Baker Award last spring.

Whether the Ducks select Kariya might depend on the San Jose Sharks, who have the second pick.

“We might help Anaheim,” said a Shark source, who hinted that the teams might flip draft choices if the Ducks throw in a player or another pick.

Duck General Manager Jack Ferreira was not about to reveal the order of his preferences. He called Daigle “a preordained superstar” and said that defenseman Chris Pronger of the Peterborough Petes is “a 6-6 guy with hand skills like he’s 5-8.”

The Ducks also praise 6-2 center Rob Niedermayer of Medicine Hat, whose brother, Scott, is a defenseman with the New Jersey Devils.

Forward Chris Gratton of the Kingston Frontenacs probably will be gone early because he is a favorite of Tampa Bay General Manager Phil Esposito, who has the No. 3 selection.

Coach Barry Melrose will be at his first draft with the Kings and has sent a message to the scouting staff that he wants a certain style of player--one with size who can play an aggressive, attacking game.

“Now that they know me and how my teams like to play, that will give them some guidelines,” Melrose said. “There’s no use drafting a guy who I won’t play.”

NHL Notes

The Boston Bruins traded goalie Andy Moog to the Dallas Stars for goalie Jon Casey. . . . Billy Smith, Steve Shutt, Guy Lapointe and Edgar Laprade were voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.