Ducks’ Lebeau Signs to Play in Switzerland : Hockey: Free-agent center, Anaheim’s third-leading scorer in 1994-95, gets a two-year contract with Lugano.

The Mighty Ducks have lost center Stephan Lebeau, their third-leading scorer this season, because he signed a free-agent contract to play in Switzerland.

“It’s something Stephan wanted to do and has wanted to do for quite some time,” said his agent, Don Meehan. “Generally speaking, he has had it in the back of his mind that he wanted to play in Europe for personal reasons.”

Lebeau, whose younger brother Patrick also plays in the Swiss league, signed a two-year deal with Lugano. He had eight goals and 16 assists in 37 games for the Ducks this season, two years after scoring a career-high 80 points for the Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens.

Lebeau played out his option with the Ducks this season, in part because negotiations on a new contract came to a halt last fall because of the NHL lockout. Though Lebeau could become a restricted free agent, the Ducks had shown interest in resigning him, but had not yet made a qualifying offer, due by June 30.

“It’s nothing against the Ducks,” Lebeau, 27, told Le Journal de Montreal when the newspaper reached him at his home near Montreal. “It’s something I’ve discussed with my girlfriend, Chantal. We want a new experience that at the same time will allow me to earn a living playing hockey.”

Lebeau was scheduled to earn $650,000 this season before the lockout shortened the schedule.

“He took a quick decision before any of the procedures usually happen in terms of resigning,” Duck assistant general manager Pierre Gauthier said. “You just turn the page and go on.”

Lebeau said he made the decision “even if it meant a financial sacrifice.”

“Having won a Stanley Cup made the decision easier,” he said. “That was the main goal of my career.”

Lebeau is just one of a number of key players for the Ducks who played out the final years of their contracts this season, largely because teams stopped renegotiating deals during the uncertainty of the labor dispute, and some later decided against continuing talks during the season.

Duck forwards Joe Sacco, Garry Valk and Todd Ewen also can become restricted free agents, though all have said they would like to remain with the team.

If the Ducks don’t resign a restricted free agent before June 30, they must make a qualifying offer in order to be assured compensation if the player chooses to sign with another team. If they choose not to make a qualifying offer, they give up their rights to the player.