NHL DRAFT : If Offer Is Right, Ducks Might Trade No. 2 Pick

With the No. 2 pick in the NHL entry draft today, the Mighty Ducks have a chance to draft an almost sure-fire future star.

But anyone who wants to see center Radek Bonk, defenseman Ed Jovanovski or goaltender Jamie Storr in a Duck jersey might be a bit uncomfortable to learn that Jack Ferreira was in the Rams’ war room for the NFL draft, watching the Rams twice trade their first-round pick.

“I got a lesson in how to trade down,” said Ferreira, who watched the Rams trade from fifth to seventh to 15th and is now entertaining offers for the NHL’s second pick.

Whether any of the teams eager to move up will come up with a deal sweet enough to pry away the pick remains to be seen as general managers continue bargaining until the last minute. Ferreira would only be inclined to trade the second pick if he could get an established young player--not an older veteran--and a pick no lower than 15th or so.

The Kings, who have finally finished paying for the Wayne Gretzky deal and have a first-round pick for the first time since 1990, are looking for a power forward or perhaps a goalie with the seventh pick overall, though new General Manager Sam McMaster also is not averse to a trade.

Florida, which secured the No. 1 pick by choosing to let the Ducks pick fourth ahead of them last year, is said to be leaning toward Jovanovski, a big, hard-hitting and versatile defenseman, in part because the Panthers have no particular need for a center. Then again, the Panthers’ Bill Torrey hasn’t ruled out trading his pick either.

If Florida does take Jovanovski, that would leave the Ducks free to take Bonk, a big, skillful Czech who scored 42 goals for minor league Las Vegas in the International League after starting the season as the youngest player in league history at 17.

But a real bit of intrigue would be if the Ducks keep their pick and pass over either of the generally acknowledged top two prospects--Bonk or Jovanovski--in favor of Storr, the top-rated goalie in the draft. For one thing, no goalie has ever gone higher than fifth in the entry draft, and for another, virtually the only strength the second-year Ducks have is at goaltender, with Guy Hebert and Mikhail Shtalenkov.

Yet the Ducks like Storr and Ferreira insists the interest is real, not a ruse to make teams who want Storr think they need to trade for the pick.

“I honestly think of all the players in the draft he’s the surest one you can say is going to be a star,” said Ferreira, who scheduled a Monday night interview with Storr. “Because of our goaltending situation right now, it doesn’t seem like a logical pick, but it puts you in pretty good position for the future, or for a trade.”

The Ducks point to goalies’ crucial role in the playoffs as a reason to consider Storr, but another might be that since he’s probably a couple of years from the NHL, he might come cheaper than others. Remember, the Ducks still haven’t signed Paul Kariya, their first pick from last year.

But could the Ducks really pass on Bonk, the most proven player in the draft?

“They would subject themselves to tremendous criticism if they don’t take Bonk,” said Butch Goring, an ex-King who coached Bonk in Las Vegas last season.

Among the players the Kings are eyeing is Brett Lindros, the younger brother of Philadelphia’s Eric Lindros and something of a wild card. Though he doesn’t have his brother’s scoring skill, Brett Lindros is the prototype of the big forward the Kings want. The snag is that Lindros is said to be against playing in Los Angeles because of the family’s disdain for Gretzky. And people remember what happened when Eric refused to play in Quebec.

That doesn’t necessarily mean the Kings would stay away from Lindros if he’s available, but others they are looking at include Ryan Smyth, another tough forward, and Jeff O’Neill, a smaller forward with tremendous scoring potential. But should Storr last until the seventh pick, which is unlikely, McMaster would probably grab him.

Hockey Notes

The Kings have named John Perpich, an assistant the last four seasons with the Washington Capitals, as an assistant to Coach Barry Melrose. Tom Renney, another the coach the Kings had interviewed, instead signed a contract extension with Team Canada. . . . Ron Salcer, the agent for the Kings’ Rob Blake, said there has been a “significant dropoff,” in the team’s most recent contract offer to the 24-year-old defenseman. “We’re not talking about a little dropoff but a lot,” he said. “They took a major step backward.” Salcer had recent negotiations with the previous King management but nothing was put in writing. About 10 days ago, new King General Manager Sam McMaster made a four-year offer believed to be in the $6-million range.

Top Prospects

Name: Radek Bonk

Position: Center

Bonk, from Koprivnice in the Czech Republic, combines size (6 feet 3 and 215 pounds) and scoring ability. He is rated No. 1 by NHL Central Scouting.

1993-94 STATISTICS

Team: Las Vegas

League: IHL

GP: 76

G: 42

A: 45

P: 87

PIM: 208

*

Name: Ed Jovanovski

Position: Defenseman

Jovanovski, from Windsor, Ont., is 6 feet 2 and 205 pounds. He is a devastating hitter with offensive skills and is rated as the No. 1 pick by The Hockey News.

1993-94 STATISTICS

Team: Windsor

League: OHL

GP: 62

G: 15

A: 35

P: 50

PIM: 221

*

Name: Jamie Storr

Position: Goaltender

Storr, from Brampton, Ont., is considered best goalie prospect available in the draft in many years. No goalie has gone as high as fifth since Tom Barrasso in 1983.

1993-94 STATISTICS

Team: Owen Sound

League: OHL

GP: 35

MIN: 2004

GA: 120

GAA: 3.5

*

Name: Oleg Tverdovsky

Position: Defenseman

Tverdovsky, from Donetsk, Ukraine, is considered the top European player in the draft. He has the offensive skills to play the point on power plays.

1993-94 STATISTICS

Team: Krylja

League: Russian

GP: 38

G: 5

A: 8

P: 13

PIM: 20