Charron Is Looking for a Silver Lining

The Ducks are all but done for the 2000-01 season, but Coach Guy Charron has a few lofty goals for the team’s final 27 games.

“We’ve got to salvage whatever we can,” Charron said Monday after the team’s first practice after the All-Star break.

“There’s nothing worse than being a player on a team that’s had no success at all.”

The Ducks (16-29-6-4) have had very little success during their first 55 games, dropping into last place in the Western Conference two weeks ago. They lead only the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Islanders in the NHL’s overall standings.

“If we could go into the last stretch and show signs of what it takes to be considered a team good enough to be in the playoffs,” Charron said when asked what he would like to see from the Ducks. “If I saw 15 or more scoring chances against us per game, then we haven’t progressed. But if we do get healthy, I would expect us to do some positive things and be in every game. But you guys [reporters] will have to be the ones to tell us, ‘Wow, the team has really shaped up.’ ”

Charron also believes the Ducks must recapture the imagination of their fans, who have all but abandoned the team.

“Wouldn’t it be fair to say, ‘Isn’t it about time to excite our fans?’ ” Charron said. “I remember when the team was in the playoffs a few years ago and the excitement that was here. We need to excite our fans again. We’ve got to create excitement by winning. Any success at all would be positive.”

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Left wing Mike Leclerc took part in his first full-contact practice since undergoing arthroscopic surgery last month to clean up damaged cartilage in his right knee. If all goes well today, Charron expects Leclerc to play Wednesday against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Leclerc, who has 12 goals and 30 points in 40 games, was injured in a 2-2 tie Dec. 28 against the Nashville Predators.

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Injured defensemen Ruslan Salei (concussion) and Vitaly Vishnevski (strained muscle in right side) skated lightly Monday. Center Steve Rucchin, sidelined by post-concussion syndrome, joined them. Vishnevski is the closest of the three to returning to the lineup.