A Mighty Quick Change

Ron Wilson coached the Mighty Ducks two seasons ago. Pierre Page coached the Ducks last season. Someone else will coach the Ducks next season.

In the middle of the coaching muddle, defenseman Dave Karpa hopes team executives don’t lose sight of what he considers the top off-season priority.

“The biggest thing is, it didn’t matter who we had for a coach,” Karpa said. “The bottom line is, we need more players. We’ve got to go out and sign some free agents.”

After the Ducks fired Page on Monday, in the wake of the worst season in franchise history, team president Tony Tavares promised the player payroll would increase by at least $10 million next season and vowed the team would aggressively pursue free agents.

However, if Tavares and General Manager Jack Ferreira think the Ducks can correct their woes with one or two free agents and the return of Paul Kariya, who missed all but 22 games last season, Karpa hopes they think twice. The way Karpa figures, the young Ducks need to sign four free agents, in part to bolster a thin defensive corps and in part to develop offensive firepower beyond the top line of Kariya, Teemu Selanne and Steve Rucchin.

“You need three solid lines to win in this league,” Karpa said.

And how many do the Ducks have, assuming Kariya returns healthy and strong?

“One,” Karpa said, “maybe one and a half.”

Karpa and Walt Kyle, one of the assistant coaches fired last month, expressed surprise at the timing of the decision to fire Page.

“I’m not surprised they did it,” Karpa said. “I’m shocked they did it now.”

The Ducks made no immediate changes at the end of the season. Six weeks later, after an extensive series of organizational meetings, the Ducks fired Kyle and fellow assistant coach Don Hay.

“I thought that was it,” Kyle said. “I definitely thought that was it.”

Kyle, who joined the Ducks’ organization as a minor league coach in 1994, says Ferreira does not act impulsively. As a result, Kyle said, he is baffled by what could have happened since the Ducks fired him 19 days ago.

“I’m sure it’s all well thought out,” Kyle said. “Jack doesn’t do things spur of the moment.

“I hate to see Pierre lose his job. Pierre was a good guy to me. Something must have transpired.”

Ferreira, who previously hired Page as a head coach with the Minnesota North Stars and who characterized his relationship with Page as “like brothers,” said Page started to waver about personnel evaluations Ferreira considered completed at the organizational meetings.

Tavares took heated exception Monday when a reporter asked whether the Ducks were in disarray.

“That may be your interpretation,” he said. “It’s not mine.”

But would the firing of Page, less than one month after the firing of the assistant coaches and one year after the firing of Wilson, cause free agents to pause before considering the Ducks? With free agents available starting July 1, would they hesitate to sign with a team without knowing the identity of the next coach?

“Yeah, but I think dollars play a bigger role,” Ferreira said.

“It’s probably the best spot to play in the National Hockey League,” Karpa said. “The accommodations are great. The weather is great. I would tell guys to come here.”

Kyle said he did not believe coaches would hesitate to sign up with the Ducks.

“I would have no qualms going to that organization to work for Tony and Jack,” Kyle said. “I think they know what they’re doing. The organization is going to be a great organization when it all comes together.”

That day may be sooner rather than later, Kyle suggested. The Ducks would be better with free agents, certainly, but they should be better even without them.

“Any time you have Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne on your hockey team, you’re a playoff team, period,” Kyle said. “And they’ve got good goaltending too. That is a playoff hockey team.”