No Matter What, Kariya Is the Key

No preview of the Mighty Ducks’ fifth NHL season could be complete without a review of the off-season of 1997, an often mind-boggling period that began May 20.

The Ducks canned Ron Wilson as coach two weeks after completing their first winning season with a first-round playoff victory over Phoenix and a second-round loss to eventual Stanley Cup champion Detroit, then refused to explain why.

Management couldn’t find a suitable replacement for Wilson until Pierre Page quit in Calgary on June 18, but then didn’t resolve compensation with the Flames in order to hire him until Aug. 9.

General Manager Jack Ferreira intended to sign all-star left wing Paul Kariya to a new contract expected to be worth more than $7 million a season, but has yet to strike a deal.

The Ducks initially were unable to bolster their roster in the free-agent market, failed to pull off a significant trade until the second week of training camp and stumbled to a 2-4-1 exhibition record as the players struggled to adapt to Page’s style of play.

But as camp ended and the Ducks departed for Friday’s opener against the Vancouver Canucks in Tokyo, the burning question was: When is Kariya going to sign?

No one seemed to have a clue.

“Our goal is not to get into an emotional, high-pitched debate with Paul [over a new deal],” President Tony Tavares said.

But Duck fans, treated to Southern California’s first Stanley Cup playoff experience since the Kings lost to Montreal in the 1993 final, seemed edgy after a summer of turmoil in Anaheim.

“We want Paul,” they chanted at the first exhibition game at the Pond. A few days later, Page said, “You know, when the fans were yelling for Paul, I wanted to yell too.”

Page wasn’t overstating his case. Kariya, the league’s third-leading scorer with 44 goals and 99 points and runner-up in MVP voting last season, is the key to the Ducks’ fortunes.

Recall that the Ducks were 1-8-2 when Kariya sat out last season’s first 11 games because of an abdominal injury that also kept him from playing for Canada in the World Cup of Hockey.

What’s more, when Kariya suffered a concussion and sat out two games in November, the Ducks lost both to bring their 1996-97 record without him to 1-10-2. With Kariya in the lineup, the Ducks were 35-23-11.

All of Ferreira’s recent additions mean little if Kariya is not signed, sealed and in uniform before the season gets too far along. Despite a sluggish summer, Ferreira rebounded strongly in September to strengthen the second line and add muscle to the defensive corps.

His trade to get versatile right wing Scott Young from the Colorado Avalanche for only a third-round draft pick might prove to be a steal by season’s end. And Ferreira, who failed to land free agent defenseman Luke Richardson, also bolstered his defense by picking up physical veteran Brent Severyn from Colorado in Sunday’s waiver draft.

If and when Kariya signs, the Ducks figure to be stronger, faster and more skilled than last season. Their scoring depth is better with the addition of Young, Tomas Sandstrom and rookies Matt Cullen and Espen Knutsen.

The goaltending is strong with Guy Hebert and Mikhail Shtalenkov back for their fifth seasons. The Ducks also retained goalie guru Francois Allaire, whom Hebert credits for his career-best 29 victories and a berth on the Western Conference all-star team last season.

And the relationship among the coaching staff, Ferreira and Tavares appears sound, unlike during Wilson’s four-year tenure. “The change is going to be healthy,” assistant coach Walt Kyle said.

Getting the players to buy into Page’s more open offensive system and more aggressive defensive style was a tough sell in the exhibition season and the source of some concern, however.

Wilson demanded a more conservative approach from all but the top line of Kariya, Steve Rucchin and Teemu Selanne. The result was one-dimensional, albeit winning, hockey.

Kariya, Rucchin (19 goals and 67 points) and Selanne (51 goals and 109 points) accounted for 114 of the Ducks’ 245 goals.

Page hopes to distribute the goals more evenly without sacrificing grit in the corners and along the boards.

“We want checkers who can score,” Page said. “We’ve taken the limitations off. A lot of guys were told [by Wilson] not to do anything but dump the puck in the offensive zone and they didn’t like that. We’ve given them the opportunity to do more, but they’ve got to make good decisions.”

Page knows it might take a while before the Ducks master his system and now understands what Wilson figured out right from the start: All things are easier with Kariya in the lineup.