Ducks Make Titov Their First Free-Agent Signing

The Mighty Ducks wasted little time in dipping into the free-agent pool, as they signed center German Titov Saturday, the first day teams were allowed to contact players.

Titov, who played with Pittsburgh and Edmonton last season, signed a three-year contract worth about $4.5 million. He made $1.2 million last season.

“We had a short list of guys we really believed could improve our club,” Duck General Manager Pierre Gauthier said. “I knew I had to be aggressive right off the bat because there are not that many players out there this year who can make a significant impact. I didn’t want to beat around the bush.”

Gauthier has made improving the Ducks’ offense a priority to take pressure off Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne. Titov, 35, will likely play on the Ducks’ second line.

At 6 feet 1, 200 pounds, Titov gives the Ducks another big center to go with Steve Rucchin. He has been a consistent scorer, averaging more than 50 points the last five seasons. He can also play wing and will likely help out on special teams.

“This is a young team with a lot of skill guys,” Titov said. “It will be very exciting to play with Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya. I played with Jaromir Jagr in Pittsburgh and that was fun.”

Titov spent five seasons with Calgary before being traded to Pittsburgh in 1998. His best season was 1995-96, when he had 28 goals and 67 points.

Titov said that three other teams had made contact.

“He is a big skilled guy, a proven 50-point player,” Gauthier said. “The first day of free agency is quite a race. We talk to the players we’re very interested in first and this is one of the players we were interested in.

“We need to build a second wave of scoring for our club. We believe this is a major step in that direction.”

Gauthier said he has contacted other free agents, but restricted free agent Eric Lindros was not among them.

“You are never done in this business,” Gauthier said. “We certainly want to fine-tune our club. It would have to be the right player at the right price and the right fit.”

Gauthier also has five restricted free agents of his own to deal with, including defenseman Oleg Tverdovksy.

But the Ducks lost center Jorgen Jonsson, who signed with Farjestad, a club team in Sweden. The Ducks acquired Jonsson from the New York Islanders last March. He had one goal and three points in 13 games.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Titov’s Record

The career statistics for German Titov, 34, the 6-foot-1, 201-pound free-agent center who agreed to terms Saturday with the Mighty Ducks:

*--*

Regular Season Playoffs Year Team GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1993-94 Calgary 76 27 18 45 28 7 2 1 3 4 1994-95 Calgary 40 12 12 24 16 7 5 3 8 10 1995-96 Calgary 82 28 39 67 24 4 0 2 2 0 1996-97 Calgary 79 22 30 52 36 - - - - - 1997-98 Calgary 68 18 22 40 38 - - - - - 1998-99 Pittsburgh 72 11 45 56 34 11 3 5 8 4 1999-00 Pittsburgh 63 17 25 42 34 - - - - - Edmonton 7 0 4 4 2 5 1 1 2 0 Totals 487 135 195 330 214 34 11 12 23 18

*--*