Ducks Hope to Make Kariya Feel at Home

Paul Kariya is coming to The Pond of Anaheim on Wednesday--but he’s not planning to sign anything except autographs.

The Mighty Ducks--who treated Kariya and his family to Saturday’s game against the Canucks--say they don’t expect to reach a contract agreement with Kariya until after the June entry draft. No further talks are scheduled until the World Championships end next month. But despite a stalemate that leaves them millions apart on a multiyear deal, they’re having their No. 4 overall draft pick down for a visit.

“We want him to see our set-up, maybe go to Disneyland for the day,” said Coach Ron Wilson, who will fly from Vancouver with Kariya after attending the funeral for Canuck owner Frank Griffiths on Tuesday.

Kariya spent an hour or so with Wilson before Saturday’s game.

“These are his future teammates,” Wilson said. “I want him to be confident and know everyone for next year. It’s up to (General Manager) Jack Ferreira, (President) Tony Tavares and his agent to sit down and make a deal.”

Kariya, whose family lives in North Vancouver, saw his first Duck game in person.

“You can’t help but think about the future,” he said.

Agent Don Baizley says European teams are interested in Kariya, but the focus apparently remains on getting a deal in the NHL.

“Hopefully, I’m with Anaheim next year,” Kariya said. “Obviously, I hoped I was going to join Anaheim as soon as the Olympics were over. That was a special experience. I was coming off a high and I wanted to keep it going.

“(The negotiations) have been kind of interesting, me being a business major. I’ve been an integral part of the negotiations from the very beginning. . . . (But) I didn’t go in with the naive feeling things would just happen the way I wanted them to.”