A Sort of Homecoming for Baumgartner

The Mighty Ducks’ season-opener Saturday in Toronto will mark Ken Baumgartner’s first return to Maple Leaf Gardens since being dealt to the Ducks at the trading deadline last season.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if there are a few ‘Bomber’ jerseys in the stands,” Baumgartner said. “There are some fans in Toronto who enjoyed my style of play.”

Baumgartner and Warren Rychel--both former Maple Leafs and former Kings--are the Ducks’ new tag-team enforcers, designed to replace Todd Ewen, who signed a free-agent contract with San Jose when the Sharks outbid the Ducks.

Baumgartner had played in Toronto since 1992, but he’ll see a different team now that the Maple Leafs are in an austerity mode.

Dave Andreychuk, Mike Gartner and Dave Gagner also have been traded, and Mike Murphy has taken over for fired coach Pat Burns.

“I don’t think [Chief Executive Officer Steve] Stavro minded spending money when we were winning and going to the playoffs,” said Baumgartner, 30. “For some strange reason that we never came to realize, we had three wins in 20 games, and that ended up costing our coach his job and seven or eight players were traded.”

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Left wing Garry Valk, recovering from a hyperextended left elbow, is questionable for Saturday after only two days of practice since the injury.

“We’ll see,” Valk said. “For sure, I’ll be ready sometime during the trip.”