Ducks Move to Renew Negotiations With Kilger’s Agent : Hockey: Ferreira calls rookie’s representative to reopen contract talks. Team trims roster to 28 healthy players.

The question for the Mighty Ducks is no longer whether 18-year-old center Chad Kilger will make the team. It’s just a matter of when they sign him.

The Ducks have until the NHL season opens Oct. 6, and the combination of the league’s new rookie salary cap and Kilger’s exhibition performance make it a deal both sides agree will get done.

General Manager Jack Ferreira quit waiting for agent Larry Kelly to call him and phoned Kelly’s office Monday to renew talks this week after a nearly two-week hiatus.

The more interesting questions as the Ducks trimmed their roster to 28 healthy players Monday are who the extra forwards and defensemen will be--especially with the new 24-player roster limit and the Ducks considering keeping as few as 22.

Oleg Mikulchik, 31, a longtime Moscow Dynamo defenseman who played for the Winnipeg Jets parts of the last two seasons, is ahead in the battle for the eighth defensive spot--if the Ducks keep that many.

“He can play on our team for sure, so can seven others,” Coach Ron Wilson said. “We really have eight who can play for us.”

Among the forwards, some established players such as Patrik Carnback are being pushed a bit by the arrival of Kilger as well as speedy forwards J.F. Jomphe and Alex Hicks.

Jomphe won a contract as a tryout two seasons ago and made strides last season playing for the Canadian national team. Hicks played for Las Vegas in the International Hockey League.

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Among the seven players sent to minor-league affiliate Baltimore was left wing David Sacco, the player acquired from Toronto last year in exchange for Terry Yake, the Ducks’ leading scorer in their first season. Yake has since been released by Toronto but is trying out with Winnipeg and is among 30 players still in camp with the Jets.

Also reassigned were forwards John Lilley, Mike Maneluk, Sean Pronger and Jarrod Skalde, defenseman Jason Marshall and goalie Byron Penstock.

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The Ducks play Calgary in an exhibition game at Phoenix tonight before returning to play Dallas on Wednesday night at The Pond. The Ducks are 2-2-1 in exhibition games with four remaining.