Ducks Still Have Plenty of Time to Negotiate With Kariya

The Mighty Ducks will make an attempt to sign Paul Kariya to a long-term contract extension this summer--though they’re in no danger of losing him if they don’t.

Kariya’s original three-year deal expires at the end of next season, when he is scheduled to make slightly more than $2 million.

Should he play out the final season, he’d become a restricted free agent, but the Ducks would have the right to keep him by matching any offer--which they most assuredly would.

General Manager Jack Ferreira would like to give Kariya a raise now and sign him to a deal similar in length to Teemu Selanne’s contract, which has four years remaining.

It’s the same idea the Angels and Cleveland Indians had when they signed young stars to long-term deals.

“I’m sure they’re not opposed to it, but they’ll be very cautious,” Ferreira said after speaking to Kariya’s agent, Don Baizley.

After a 50-goal, 108-point season at 21, Kariya’s price only figures to go up after another season.

“From Paul’s perspective, he has a year to go,” Baizley said. “There’s lots of time to worry about contracts after that.

“It used to be a big deal if you played out your option, but most people, I think, will fulfill the full terms of their contracts before signing a new one.”

In any case, the Ducks are at virtually no risk of losing Kariya. Under the current collective-bargaining agreement, he won’t become an unrestricted free agent until he’s 32, more than a decade from now.

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Among the NHL players who can become unrestricted free agents this off-season are Chicago’s Bernie Nicholls, the Rangers’ Jari Kurri and Pat Verbeek and New Jersey’s Phil Housley. Teams can’t bid on free agents until July 1.

“We’ll investigate the free-agent market,” Ferreira said.

Players on the Duck roster who can become unrestricted free agents are Todd Ewen, Anatoli Semenov, Randy Ladouceur, Peter Douris and Jason Marshall. Ferreira is committed to trying to reach a deal with Ewen, but said decisions on some other players might have to wait until after the team determines whether it will sign outside free agents.