Gauthier Is OK With Status Quo

Pierre Gauthier, Mighty Duck team president and general manager, spent most of Thursday morning on the phone talking to other NHL general managers.

There’s nothing new about that, and it shouldn’t be viewed as a sign he’s about to pull off a major trade before the March 23 deadline. In fact, he said he’s not certain a deal would be such a good idea for his club at this point.

“We look at everything and we do very little,” Gauthier said of his trading philosophy. “You’re talking to a guy who’s a reluctant trader rather than an anxious trader.”

He also is a general manager encouraged by his team’s progress in the six months since he returned to Anaheim after spending parts of three seasons turning around the fortunes of the Ottawa Senators.

“I think we are where we hoped to be, but you never know,” Gauthier said. “We still feel we can make a lot of improvement. We’ve got to learn to deal with success.”

By no means does Gauthier believe the Ducks have a playoff berth locked up. However, the fifth-place Ducks had a 13-point cushion over ninth-place Calgary after defeating the Kings, 2-1, Wednesday for their fifth consecutive victory. The top eight in each conference advance to the postseason.

“We shouldn’t take it for granted that we’re in the playoffs,” he said. “We’ve got to show desperation even when we’re not desperate. It’s a new position for us.”

Tonight

vs. Nashville, 7:30

Fox Sports West 2

* Site--Arrowhead Pond.

* Radio--XTRA (690).

* Records--Ducks 28-25-9, Predators 22-34-6.

* Record vs. Predators--1-2.

* Update--Teemu Selanne has at least one point in 14 consecutive games and at least one goal in seven in a row. The Ducks tonight could match a franchise-record six-game winning streak set in March 1996. They have not been four games above .500 in their six-season history.

* Tickets--(714) 740-2000.