Ducks Gamble With Hebert’s Future

Pierre Gauthier, Mighty Duck president and general manager, weighed his options very carefully before gambling and leaving goaltender Guy Hebert off his list of protected players for the June 23 expansion draft.

Then Gauthier crossed his fingers, hoping that Hebert’s $3.6-million salary and no-trade clause prove to be turnoffs to the expansion Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild.

“It’s called a calculated risk,” Gauthier said Tuesday of exposing Hebert, the first player selected by the Ducks in the 1993 expansion draft.

“We hope he doesn’t get taken. We sure hope Guy stays.”

It’s a risk shared by several other NHL general managers who left high-priced players unprotected Tuesday.

Among those available to Columbus and Minnesota, but at a high price tag: Claude Lemieux of the Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils, Doug Gilmour of the Buffalo Sabres, Mark Messier of the Vancouver Canucks and Rick Tocchet of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Columbus and Minnesota each will select 26 players June 23 at Calgary. General managers from 26 NHL teams (recent expansion teams Atlanta and Nashville are exempt) could protect up to one goalie, five defensemen and nine forwards or two goalies, three defensemen and seven forwards.

Gauthier created a difficult decision by acquiring goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere on Saturday from the Calgary Flames, who could not protect him. The Ducks sent the Flames a second-round draft pick.

Compounding matters for Gauthier was his trade Monday that brought defenseman Patrick Traverse to Anaheim from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for minor-leaguer Joel Kwiatkowski.

Gauthier could have protected Giguere and Hebert, but almost certainly would have lost one or more of his talented defensemen.

“We want to keep Guy,” Gauthier said. “[But] we saw the opportunity to grab a young goaltender.”

Hebert, who left Tuesday for a weeklong fishing trip, refused comment. Gauthier said he spoke with Hebert before he departed.

“I told him he shouldn’t feel insulted,” Gauthier said. “I explained the situation to him and he saw the total picture. In the past, high-priced players were not taken. And he has a no-trade clause, which could make it harder [for the expansion teams to take Hebert].”

Moreover, Columbus and Minnesota each acquired goalies through trades recently, the Blue Jackets dealing for Marc Denis of Colorado and the Wild picking up Manny Fernandez from Dallas. Gauthier believes those deals also make it more difficult for the expansion teams to add Hebert’s $3.6-million contract.

Asked what he will do if Hebert is taken, Gauthier said, “We’ll see. Let’s not get into it now.”

It’s highly unlikely the Ducks would make Giguere their No. 1 starter. After all, he’s only 23 and has played 30 games in three seasons with Calgary and Hartford. Giguere has an 8-14-2 NHL record with a 3.22 goals-against average and an .897 save percentage.

If Columbus and Minnesota pass on Hebert, as Gauthier hopes, the Ducks will have the most depth they have had in goal since their inaugural 1993-94 season. Hebert split time with Ron Tugnutt, then Mikhail Shtalenkov after Tugnutt was traded to the Montreal Canadiens midway through the season.

Hebert, 33, had a lackluster 1999-2000, going 28-31-9 with a 2.51 goals-against average and .908 save percentage in 68 games. After a strong start, the Ducks faded in January and finished last in the Pacific Division, failing to advance to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the fifth time in the franchise’s seven-season history.

“We like Guy,” Gauthier said. “We want to keep him here. He’s good for our organization. . . . We have to lose two players. Two are going to be gone and we don’t know which two. We sure hope Guy stays.”

Among others, Gauthier also did not protect forwards Ted Donato, Stu Grimson, Kip Miller and Jeff Nielsen, defensemen Kevin Haller and Pascal Trepanier and goalies Tom Askey, Dominic Roussel and Corey Hirsch.

The Ducks also agreed to terms with Jarrett Smith, an unsigned free agent center from Prince Albert of the junior-level Western Hockey League. Smith had 27 goals and 59 points in 72 games last season.

Around the NHL

Phoenix right wing Mikael Renberg is leaving the Coyotes to play with Lulea of the Swedish Elite League.