Nicholls Hits Detour, Goes the Way of San Jose

Bernie Nicholls is returning to California, but he will be playing a few hundred miles north of where he had hoped to be.

With no offer in hand from the Mighty Ducks, whom he had favored because he lives in Brea, Nicholls on Tuesday signed a two-year, $4.4 million contract with the San Jose Sharks. The deal includes an option for a third year if he meets certain performance levels.

Nicholls, 35, began his career with the Kings in 1981-82. His best season was 1988-89, when he scored 70 goals and 150 points. He also played for the New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers and New Jersey Devils before joining the Chicago Blackhawks. He has 1,134 career points in 992 games.

Nicholls had repeatedly said he wanted to join the Ducks and center for wingers Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya. However, Duck executives thought him too expensive--and too old--to be a top-notch player for years to come.

“Bernie’s got a year, maybe two, left,” Duck President Tony Tavares said. “We have other plans we’re working on that will be a longer-term solution.

“If, at the end of the day, we can’t get what we want, we may go with a veteran. That’s possible. But to go out and pay Bernie $2.3 million now, that would have precluded doing anything later. It’s too soon to play that card.”

Nicholls had offers of $1.8 million per year from the Dallas Stars and $4.5 million for two years from the St. Louis Blues and had begun talks with the Vancouver Canucks. However, he wanted to stay in California and didn’t want to play for Blues Coach Mike Keenan.

“I’m really disappointed with the way Anaheim treated the whole situation,” Nicholls said. “They said I was their main project and they knew other teams were interested in me. I even told Jack [Ferreira, the Ducks’ general manager] when I got an offer I’d take it back to them. He said they were going to wait and weren’t going to make an offer now.

“San Jose came after me the hardest and they were very classy. As a player you like to play for a team where you know management is doing its best.”

Tavares disputed Nicholls’ claim that the Ducks made him their main focus. “I’m puzzled why he would say that,” Tavares said. “I don’t begrudge Bernie the money. I’m glad he got the money he got. This is business, not personal. Just because San Jose chooses to match a contract offer made by a team [the Blues] that has been very aggressive in its free-agent spending doesn’t mean everybody is going to match it. We guide our business by what’s in the best interest of the Ducks.”