Ducks Trade Tugnutt to Canadiens for Lebeau : Hockey: Center is said to be fully recovered from severely sprained ankle.

The Mighty Ducks parted with half of what was once their No. 1 and 1-A goaltending tandem Sunday, trading Ron Tugnutt to Montreal for Stephan Lebeau, a center who had 31 goals and 80 points for the Stanley Cup champions last season.

Lebeau is expected to help an offense that ranks 23rd on the power play 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.”

The deal--the Ducks’ first since the season began--formally stamped Guy Hebert as the Ducks’ No. 1 goalie, a role he has assumed in the past month. Mikhail Shtalenkov was called up from minor league 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 will turn 26 on Feb. 28, was the Canadiens’ fourth-leading scorer last season, but a severely sprained ankle this season has limited him to only 34 games, and he has only nine goals and seven assists. However, he has played in the Canadiens’ last two games after sitting out the previous five weeks because of the injury, and Wilson says he is now 100% sound.

Tugnutt will be the backup to Patrick Roy, perhaps the best goalie in the world.

“I’m a little bit disappointed,” Tugnutt 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.”

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,” former Canadien Todd Ewen said. “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 is a native of the province of Quebec and has played his entire career with the Canadiens.

“I had the feeling that I was going to be traded and I was very happy it was to Anaheim,” he said. “It’s a new team and for me I think I’m going to have chance to play more and play the style of hockey I can play.”