Ducks Add Young to Their 2nd Line

The Mighty Ducks finally got their man Wednesday.

No, all-star left wing Paul Kariya remains unsigned and at home in Vancouver awaiting a new contract that could pay him more than $7 million per season.

But the Ducks did manage to bolster their scoring depth by acquiring Scott Young, a versatile right wing, from the Colorado Avalanche for a third-round pick in the 1998 draft.

Young, 29, is expected to play with rookie center Espen Knutsen and veteran winger Tomas Sandstrom on the second line. Young will join the team for practice Friday.

“He’s a reliable player, a checker who can score,” Coach Pierre Page said. “We need checkers who can score. He’s in the 20- to 30-goal range. He has a lot of speed. It’s a big boost for us.”

Young had 18 goals and 37 points in 72 games for the Avalanche last season. He also played for the Quebec Nordiques when Page was the coach and general manager in the early 1990s. The Nordiques moved to Denver to become the Avalanche in 1995.

Young also played on U.S. Olympic teams in 1988 and ’92 and was a member of Stanley Cup championship teams in Pittsburgh in 1991 and Colorado in 1996.

“I think with Young we’ll have two good lines. Last year, we didn’t have enough power on the second and third lines,” said Teemu Selanne, who led the Ducks with 51 goals and 109 points last season.

“For sure, it’s good news for us because it gives us more depth. Now, we need only one more bit of good news: Re-signing No. 9.”

Selanne was referring to Kariya, his linemate and the team’s captain and second-leading scorer with 44 goals and 99 points last season.

However, if there was movement toward re-signing Kariya, General Manager Jack Ferreira was not sharing the news with reporters. In fact, Ferreira said he’s through talking about his attempts to re-sign Kariya.

“I’ll have no comment until the deal is done,” he said.

The Ducks have made a second offer to Kariya, but team president Tony Tavares has refused to reveal any details. The first offer, presented in July, was for $25 million for five years.

Wednesday’s trade, which Ferreira said had been in the works for about three weeks, also should give the Ducks depth in case they are forced to begin the regular season without Kariya. Ferreira said last week it’s possible the Ducks could be without Kariya when they open the season with games Oct. 3-4 against Vancouver at Tokyo.

Young is regarded as a strong skater with a blistering slap shot who can fill a variety of roles, including taking a turn on the power-play and penalty-killing units.

He would seem to be the sort of player the Ducks have lacked in their lineup in the past.

After all, only five players other than Kariya and Selanne reached double figures in goals last season. And Kariya, Selanne and Steve Rucchin (19 goals, 67 points) accounted for 114 of the team’s 245 goals.

“It will be a great situation for me,” said Young, whose ice time was cut last season with the Avalanche. “I loved playing for Pierre Page in Quebec. I know what he wants from his players. I know his system.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Young by the Numbers

The career record of Scott Young, a right wing acquire Wednesday by the Mighty Ducks in a trade with Colorado:

*--*

Season Team GP G A TP PIM 1987-88 Hartford 7 0 0 0 4 1988-89 Hartford 76 19 40 59 27 1989-90 Hartford 80 24 40 64 47 1990-91 Hartford 34 6 9 15 8 Pittsburgh 43 11 16 27 33

*--*

1991-92 Played for U.S. National team and Bolzano Italy

*--*

Season Team GP G A TP PIM 1992-93 Quebec 82 30 30 60 20 1993-94 Quebec 76 26 25 51 14 1994-95 Quebec 48 18 21 39 14 1995-96 Colorado 81 21 39 60 50 1996-97 Colorado 72 18 19 37 14 Totals 599 173 239 412 229

*--*

PLAYOFFS

*--*

Season Team GP G A TP PIM 1987-88 Hartford 4 1 0 1 0 1988-89 Hartford 4 2 0 2 4 1989-90 Hartford 7 2 0 2 2 1990-91 Pittsburgh 17 1 6 7 2 1992-93 Quebec 6 4 1 5 0 1994-95 Quebec 6 3 3 6 2 1995-96 Colorado 22 3 12 15 10 1996-97 Colorado 17 4 2 6 14 Totals 83 20 24 44 34

*--*