Ducks Add Scoring Punch With Donato

Pierre Gauthier, Mighty Duck president and general manager, vowed in April to upgrade his roster in the wake of a four-game playoff sweep at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings.

He found one way Friday, acquiring veteran left wing Ted Donato and the rights to unsigned Finnish defenseman Antti-Jussi Niemi from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for goaltender Patrick Lalime.

It’s hardly a blockbuster deal, but the addition of Donato gives the Ducks another experienced forward to share the scoring burden with all-star wingers Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne.

Donato also could make up for the anticipated loss of right wing Tomas Sandstrom, an unrestricted free agent who might play next season in his native Sweden or sign with another NHL team.

“It adds to our depth,” Gauthier said of trading for Donato, 29. “We feel he’s a good fit. He’s a good two-way player, a good power-play player. It’s always good to add a veteran.”

Donato played for Ottawa, the New York Islanders and the Boston Bruins last season, scoring 11 goals and 27 points in 82 games. His most productive season was 1996-97, when he had 25 goals and 51 points in 67 games for the Bruins.

Niemi, 21, was Ottawa’s fourth-round pick in the 1996 draft. He had three goals and 10 points in 53 games last season for Jokerit, a Finnish club team.

Lalime, acquired from Pittsburgh on March 24, 1998, did not play in a regular-season game for the Ducks last season. After a lackluster training camp, he was sent to Kansas City of the International Hockey League.

“We had an opportunity to make a deal because we have an excess of goalies,” Gauthier said, referring to starter Guy Hebert, backup Dominic Roussel and minor-leaguers Tom Askey and Greg Naumenko.

Gauthier had been actively shopping Lalime for the last few weeks and Ottawa made the best offer. The Senators also traded goaltender Damian Rhodes to the expansion Atlanta Thrashers on Friday.