Dollas Stays in Touch After Being Traded

The Mighty Ducks made a much-anticipated trade Friday, sending disgruntled defenseman Bobby Dollas some 20 paces down the hallway to the visiting Edmonton Oilers’ dressing room at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim.

Defenseman Drew Bannister made the walk in the other direction, joining the Ducks a few hours before the game. Both players then made their debuts with their new teams in Edmonton’s 5-1 victory.

The Ducks’ loss, their first in nine games against Edmonton, underscored their desperate need for change. But is one trade enough?

Or must General Manager Jack Ferreira make more deals to lift the Ducks from the 3-12-3 slide they have been in since defeating the Oilers, 3-1, Nov. 28?

Can the present lineup put together the sort of late-season run that enabled last season’s team to post its first winning record and earn its first playoff berth?

Ferreira was attending meetings with scouts Friday in Cincinnati, home of the Ducks’ American Hockey League affiliate, and was unavailable to answer those questions.

At first glance, the Dollas-for-Bannister deal seemed to be merely a blip on the radar screen when compared to other, bigger trades around the NHL recently.

For instance, the Oilers acquired Bill Guerin, Roman Hamrlik and Valeri Zelepukin in the last two weeks. All played key roles in Friday’s victory.

In time, Bannister could prove to be a useful player for the Ducks. After all, he is only 23. Dollas will turn 33 this month.

Trading Dollas also can be viewed as a case of addition by subtraction. Wednesday, he expressed anger at being scratched twice in three games and said he asked to be traded. He also indicated he was particularly upset with Coach Pierre Page.

But Dollas and the Ducks seemed to part amicably Friday.

“Bobby Dollas will forever remain a special part of the Mighty Duck history,” team President Tony Tavares said in a prepared statement. “The organization is grateful for all his efforts during his tenure here.”

Said Dollas: “I owe a lot to the Ducks. They rejuvenated my career. I was thinking about quitting hockey a few years ago. I think I helped this team, this organization. But sometimes it’s time to move on.

“I called Jack and told him, ‘No hard feelings. If I see you in the summertime, we’ll have a beer and talk over old times.’ ”

Dollas left Anaheim as the Ducks’ leading scorer among defensemen with 89 points. He and Joe Sacco are the only Ducks to play in more than 300 games. Dollas also was an assistant captain in 1995-96 and ‘96-97.

His departure leaves Sacco and goaltender Guy Hebert as the only players remaining from the Ducks’ opening-night roster in 1993.

“It’s tough to see him go--as a friend, as a teammate,” Hebert said. “We’ve been through it all--opening night, winning seasons, losing seasons, the playoffs.”

Dollas received a less-than-complimentary send-off from the sellout crowd of 17,174. There were a smattering of boos when he came onto the ice and handled the puck for the first time.

Bannister’s debut as a Duck was met with indifference by the fans, although Page was excited to have him.

“Today, we acquired a young leader,” Page said. “This kid is a player. He’s a winner and has good character. Most of all, he has a history of being a leader. We’re very excited to have him join our club.”

Page paired Bannister with J.J. Daigneault to start the game. Bannister picked up the second assist on Joe Sacco’s second-period goal for his first point in 33 games.

But Bannister’s acquisition did little to jolt some life into the Ducks. They turned in a flat performance, falling behind by 3-0 only 6:44 into the second period.

“As an organization, we have to get in a direction and stay in that direction,” Page said. “Tonight, we looked like a bunch of guys going in different directions.”