Oksiuta Not a Hot Commodity

Right wing Roman Oksiuta and his $600,000 salary don’t appear to be going anywhere even though Duck General Manager Jack Ferreira gave agent Serg Levin permission to find a trade before today’s noon NHL deadline.

Oksiuta, a regular in Coach Ron Wilson’s doghouse who has played in only 28 games and has six goals, is scheduled to make $700,000 next season but the Ducks have the right to buy him out for two-thirds of his salary.

Wilson has criticized Oksiuta’s work ethic and defensive effort and won’t play him except in emergencies although Ferreira believes Oksiuta has “more talent than some of the people I could get” in a trade.

Oksiuta had 23 goals last season for Vancouver and Anaheim but has played for three teams in the last three seasons.

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It was a quiet trading-deadline eve in the NHL.

“One G.M. said, ‘I’m glad you called, you’re the only call I’ve gotten today,’ ” Ferreira said.

Even though he’d hoped to add some scoring support for the stretch run, Ferreira predicted “nothing major” before the deadline.

“Right now there’s nothing in the works, just a lot of planting seeds.”

Nevertheless, Ferreira made a small move Friday by putting center J.F. Jomphe on injured reserve because of a lower abdominal strain--leaving two open spots on the Duck roster.

“It helps if you want to make a two-for-one or three-for-one,” Ferreira said.