Ducks Are Stagnant Amid Swirling Trade Winds

Bryan Smolinski is out there, unsigned and playing with Detroit of the International Hockey League while the Pittsburgh Penguins field offers for the rights to him.

Center Adam Oates is unhappy in Boston.

There are rumors Vancouver is willing to part with winger Alexander Mogilny.

Defenseman Curtis Leschyshyn was traded twice last week.

Chicago is reportedly ready to deal defenseman Eric Weinrich.

Washington has so many defensemen on the roster Ken Klee moved to left wing.

There is movement out there, hockey fans, and the Mighty Ducks could make changes to improve their sagging fortunes. But so far General Manager Jack Ferreira has resisted.

This is not to say Ferreira is satisfied with the play of the Ducks. The goaltending has been mediocre at best. Ferreira worries that he’ll have to give the defense a makeover for the third season running. And aside from Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne, Ferreira can’t find a good thing to say about any of his forwards.

“Well,” he said between periods during Wednesday’s game against Toronto at the Pond, “maybe Kevin Todd.”

The question is: How best to bolster the Ducks.

Ferreira said he has been trying, making calls and fielding calls from other general managers. So far, nothing has clicked.

But as time passes and the Ducks continue to fade from playoff contention, Ferreira is more likely to make a deal. He is displeased but not yet desperate.

“I’ve talked to a lot of teams,” Ferreira said. “There are discussions that go on all the time.”

In their four-season history, the Ducks have been opposed to trading first-round draft picks. But that might change.

“I’ve considered it,” Ferreira said. “It’s not something I’d say no to. It depends on what another team is willing to give up.”

And that could be the best way for the Ducks to go to acquire new talent and snap them out of their early-season funk.

Suffice to say, the Ducks aren’t talented enough, aren’t deep enough to draw interest in players other than Kariya and Selanne.

Several weeks ago, Coach Ron Wilson said: “It’s hard to replace players when other teams don’t want the players you have.”

In other words, giving up a third-line winger and a couple of draft picks to gain more depth and skill might not be such a bad idea.

The Ducks’ troubles are so great that Ferreira was moved to say, “I don’t think there’s a quick fix.”

Asked if the answers were already in Anaheim, playing now at Baltimore of the American Hockey League or playing for other clubs, Ferreira said:

“It’s a combination of everything. . . . We have to play up to our capabilities. I don’t think there’s ever a quick fix. There are a lot of things I’m disappointed in. There are a lot of players I’ve been disappointed in.”

With the exception of Todd, taken from the waiver wire from Pittsburgh, and Warren Rychel, signed as a free agent from Colorado, the Ducks’ off-season moves haven’t panned out.

Jari Kurri, the team’s big free-agent signee, admitted last week he hasn’t accomplished much in Anaheim.

David Karpa, re-signed after holding out during training camp, has been among the most inept of the Duck defensemen.

Forward Ted Drury, acquired the day before the season began in a trade with Ottawa, has been ineffective and was scratched Wednesday.

After 18 games, the Ducks have the league’s most losses and lowest winning percentage. If these games have shown anything it’s that the Ducks don’t match up.

It’s that simple.