Ducks Trade Tugnutt to Montreal for Lebeau

The Mighty Ducks parted with half of what once was their Nos. 1 and 1-A goaltending tandem Sunday, trading Ron Tugnutt to the Montreal Canadiens for Stephan Lebeau, a skilled young center who had 31 goals and 80 points for the Stanley Cup champions last season.

The Ducks said goodby to the player who was in goal for the first victory in franchise history, but at practice today in Buffalo they will greet a player who should give them an immediate offensive boost--particularly on a power play that ranks 23rd in the NHL and has scored on only five of its last 60 opportunities.

“You hate to see a guy like Tugger go, he’s done so well for us and been everything we’ve asked for and an important part of our first year,” Coach Ron Wilson said. “(But) we felt our organization is very deep in goal, that’s our strongest asset, and we can afford to give up Ron Tugnutt to bolster our offense. We got someone in Stephan Lebeau we feel is going to enable us to score more goals.”

The deal--the Ducks’ first since the season began--formally stamped Guy Hebert as the Ducks’ No. 1 goalie. Mikhail Shtalenkov was called up from San Diego to be the backup.

The trade also should put the team in a stronger position to contend with the San Jose Sharks and the Kings for the final Western Conference playoff spot. But General Manager Jack Ferreira, who orchestrated the deal from the Olympics in Norway, said it is more a long-term move than a playoff deal. “That’s in the back of your mind because we are in the hunt,” Ferreira said. “But we also knew we needed to upgrade our power play and needed a finisher and another playmaker anyway.”

Lebeau, who turns 26 on Feb. 28, was the Canadiens’ fourth-leading scorer last season, but a severely sprained ankle this season has limited him to 34 games, and he has nine goals and seven assists. However, he has played in the Canadiens’ last two games after missing the previous five weeks with the injury, and Wilson says he now is 100% healthy.

Tugnutt was at the morning skate Sunday when Wilson told him of the trade.

Tugnutt, who fell behind Hebert during a shaky stretch when he was preoccupied by the impending birth of his first child, was less elated than one might think.

He has gone from a new team to a contender, but now he is the backup to Patrick Roy, perhaps the best goalie in the world.

“I’m a little bit disappointed,” he said. “I think that things were going very well here. I was enjoying California and more than anything I was enjoying the players here. It was fun being a part of a new franchise that has a chance to make the playoffs.

“I’m excited about the chance of winning the Stanley Cup, it’s a great hockey team. But I was also very excited to come to Anaheim because I was going to get a chance to play. I understand already that I won’t be getting much ice time, so that’s going to be very difficult.

“I’m not going to say (the decision to trade me) is right or wrong, time will tell, but I really think Guy and I together were a good combination. For their sake here, I hope he can handle the workload for the rest of the season.”

But even as the Ducks said their goodbys to Tugnutt, the players who once played with Lebeau in Montreal spoke of him enthusiastically.

“Stephan Lebeau is a very gifted player, he’s got great hands and on special teams he’s phenomenal,” said former Canadien Todd Ewen. “I think he’ll really improve our power play for one and he’s got a good work ethic so he’ll fit right in . . . He’s going to really help us.”

Lebeau, a Quebec native, has played his entire professional career in the Montreal organization.

“I had the feeling that I was going to be traded and I was very happy it was to Anaheim,” Lebeau said. “It’s a new team and for me I think I’m going to have a chance to play more and play the style of hockey I can play . . . They have a good team and a chance to make the playoffs. No doubt, I look forward to trying to help them make it.”