MIGHTY DUCKS / ROBYN NORWOOD : Eisner Pleased With Summer Blockbuster Deals

The $13.5 million the Mighty Ducks spent signing young draft picks this summer might have seemed positively un-Disneylike, but Walt Disney Co. Chairman Michael Eisner says he approves.

“It’s just like the movie business. You have to know where to be frugal and where to be generous,” said Eisner, who visited camp Wednesday in Anaheim and is back at work after undergoing heart bypass surgery in July.

“It’s all about talent--and stars and talent may not necessarily be the same,” he said.

In the case of Paul Kariya--Disney’s first $2-million skater since Nancy Kerrigan--the two are expected to go hand-in-hand.

“He looked pretty good,” said Eisner, who also got his first look at this year’s first-round pick, Oleg Tverdovsky, and 1993 picks Valeri Karpov and and Nikolai Tsulygin.

The Ducks’ summer signings indicate club President Tony Tavares and General Manager Jack Ferreira understand that profits can go up by increasing revenue, not just cutting expenses--a concept lost on more than a few sports franchises. The Ducks expect Kariya to improve the team, but also to have marquee appeal--a quality that will bring in more customers.

Eisner said the team was “profitable” in its first season but didn’t divulge any figures.

“Tony is very bottom-line oriented,” Eisner said.

Eisner’s attitudes bode well for the Ducks’ top players, but the philosophy isn’t great news for the rank and file, most of whom make less than the NHL average salary of $523,000. The Ducks’ payroll last season was the NHL’s lowest at $7.8 million.

Eisner likes to compare sports business to movie business, and under ex-studio chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg, Disney was renowned for being tightfisted.

“If you pay everybody top dollar, you’ll go broke,” Eisner said.

Duck Notes

Minor league defenseman Anatoli Fedotov, who has not reported, is contemplating retirement. . . . Tryout David Matsos (charley horse) missed practice.