Ducks Head to Draft With Plenty of Holes

The Mighty Ducks, everyone’s favorite dysfunctional hockey team, waddled off to the NHL draft this weekend in Buffalo coachless and clueless for the second consecutive summer.

The Ducks’ troubles appear to be nothing a new coach, a couple of all-star free agents, a standout first-round draft pick and a few sessions with Dr. Laura couldn’t cure.

Not that the Ducks seem concerned.

General Manager Jack Ferreira fired Coach Pierre Page last week, then adopted a “What, me worry?” approach to the chaos.

Ferreira has eliminated almost no one from his coaching search except Marc Crawford, whose hiring would require steep compensation to the Colorado Avalanche. But Ferreira has gone that route before, handing over a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft to the Calgary Flames for Page last summer.

Meanwhile, team President Tony Tavares has hunkered down in his office at Edison Field, where the Angels seem to be the only stable team in town. Tavares seems content to keep quiet--perhaps for the first time in his five-year tenure as president of Disney’s Anaheim Sports.

The good news for Tavares is the Angels lead the American League West and are averaging nearly 8,000 more fans per game than last season. The bad news is his hockey team appears to be in disarray.

A request for a moment of Tavares’ time last week prompted this discussion with a reporter:

What is your opinion on the Ducks’ future and the direction the franchise is headed.

Tavares: “Why don’t you ask Jack? I’d rather not comment.”

I’ll get his thoughts later, but I’m interested in what you think.

Tavares: “What does it matter?”

You mean you don’t care about your hockey team?

Tavares: “No, that’s not what I’m saying at all.”

What are you saying?

Tavares: “I’d rather not comment.”

So, Jack, what about it? Are you worried about going into the draft without a coach? Are you worried about being without a coach when free agency begins next Wednesday?

Apparently, he is not.

Ferreira might have a point when it comes to the draft picks, who often don’t progress through their minor-league apprenticeship for three to four seasons. By then, the Ducks probably will be hiring another new coach.

The Ducks have the fifth overall pick in Saturday’s draft at Marine Midland Arena and are expected to select a defenseman.

As for free agents, it’s widely acknowledged they like to know who their coach will be before signing a long-term contract with a new team.

But Ferreira disagreed.

“I think money plays a bigger role. Or how they will fit into an organization,” Ferreira said. “We won’t even look at free agents until after July 1.”

Well, perhaps not for the record since that would mean the Ducks would be guilty of tampering. But unofficially, at least, the Ducks are known to be interested in signing a versatile defenseman such as St. Louis’ Steve Duchesne or Vancouver’s Jyrki Lumme.

It’s also assumed they will be bidding for the services of Pittsburgh center Ron Francis, who is not expected to re-sign with the Penguins.

But one league source scoffed when the names Duchesne, Lumme, Francis, St. Louis’ winger Brett Hull and others were mentioned. “The only name I’ve heard so far is Jyrki Lumme,” he said.

Team captain Paul Kariya acknowledged the Ducks’ 26-43-13 record and 12th place finish in the 13-team Western Conference last season could work against them when trying to land high-impact free agents.

“If I were a free agent I would go to a team that looks like it’s going to win right now,” Kariya said. “It’s just a case of whether a player wants to come to a rebuilding team or a Stanley Cup contender.”

At one time, the Ducks seemed poised to join the NHL’s elite. But their record and reputation has taken a beating since Ron Wilson was fired after leading the team to its first winning season and the second round of the 1997 playoffs.

Indeed, almost everything Ferreira has touched has turned to dust since letting Wilson go on May 20, 1997.

It took three months to hire Page, Ferreira’s longtime friend, but that didn’t pan out. Free agent Tomas Sandstrom failed to perform. Kariya missed 32 games because of a contract dispute, then 28 more because of post-concussion syndrome.

Others suffered injuries or their play did not live up to expectations. Trades were made and the Ducks lost their experience and toughness almost overnight.

Under Page, the Ducks changed game plans almost nightly--because that was his method of operation, but also because he never seemed to have the same lineup twice because of injuries.

“With Ron we were a trapping team with three lines trying to play [defensively] and one line allowed to run and gun,” Kariya said. “Pierre tried to open it up. He tried to change the system a lot. We were too young. We needed one system. At the end, I think Pierre realized that.”

But there was more to the Ducks’ 20-point slide in the standings this season, according to Kariya.

“We changed more than half our team--that’s the other thing,” he said. “We had an experienced team, then all of a sudden we had all sorts of young guys who were just happy to be in the league. When you make changes, you can’t expect to go upward.”

As difficult as 1997-98 was to stomach, Kariya hasn’t lost his optimism.

“The philosophy here is sound,” he said. “It would have taken a miracle for us to get past Detroit [in the second round of the 1997 playoffs]. Right now, we’ve got a lot of holes, but we’ve got some good young players. As bad as we played last year, there are still a lot of encouraging things.”

Asked if he had a favorite coaching candidate, Kariya laughed.

“Players should play,” he said. “Coaches should coach, and general mangers should do what general managers do. If we bring in two or three [free agents], it could change the whole dynamic of what we need. Right now, experience would help.

“In today’s world, you’re looking at three years at best with a coach--even if they have success. The important thing is to have a good foundation, a good system, a good work ethic.”

And maybe a good shrink.