Kariya Might Play Sunday

Paul Kariya spent an hour alone, skating and shooting pucks, at Disney Ice Thursday. But how much longer before he rejoins the Mighty Ducks is still unknown.

Kariya, who has been out since breaking a bone in his right foot Dec. 17, will have X-rays and an examination today. He will not play tonight against the Phoenix Coyotes, although there remains a chance that he will play Sunday against Colorado.

“It’s out of my hands right now,” Kariya said. “There is still pain. The muscles in the calf and ankle need to get stronger. It gets better every day.”

Kariya has experienced swelling in the foot after workouts the last three days, but said it is gone by morning. He said he is guarding against rushing his rehabilitation, which could cause other injuries.

“I don’t want to risk damage in other areas. Once the bone heals, the last thing I want to do is sprain my ankle or mess up other parts of my body because it’s not ready to handle the load.”

Kariya balances that with the Ducks’ need to have him in the lineup. He has 12 goals and 32 points in 35 games.

The injury-depleted Ducks are in such a state that Kariya is still their second-leading scorer, despite having missed 13 games.

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Rumors that Phoenix Coyote captain Keith Tkachuk will be traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs have heated up. Toronto papers have Tkachuk, along with former Duck Travis Green and Jyrki Lumme, going to the Maple Leafs for Sergei Berezin, Nik Antropov, Adam Mair and Danny Markov.

Coyote General Manager Bobby Smith said he has spoken with Maple Leaf officials, but told reporters the deal is “a pretty far-off rumor.”

TONIGHT

Phoenix, 7:30, Fox Sports Net 2

* Site--Arrowhead Pond.

* Radio--XTRA (690).

* Records--Ducks 15-23-6-4; Coyotes 20-13-11-1.

* Record vs. Coyotes--1-0-1-0.

* Update--The Coyotes were the champions of October again this season, going 9-1-2-0 during the season’s first month. They are 11-13-9-1 since. The Ducks ended an eight-game winless streak with a 6-2 victory over the Coyotes on Nov. 18, the last time these teams met.

* Tickets--(714) 703-2545.