Ducks Use Option on Goalie Shields

The Mighty Ducks have exercised their option on goalie Steve Shields, one of two players the team acquired from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Teemu Selanne last March.

The $2-million option could make re-signing restricted free agent Jean-Sebastien Giguere more difficult. Giguere, the Ducks’ No. 1 goalie after being recalled from minor league Cincinnati in January, made $605,00 last season,

Shields, 28, started the season as the Sharks’ No. 1 goalie but suffered an ankle sprain in the second game and missed eight games. By the time he returned, rookie Evgeni Nabokov had established himself as one of the NHL’s top goalies. Shields was 6-8-5 with two shutouts in 21 games with the Sharks and had a 2.48 goals-against average.

The Ducks sent Selanne, a fan favorite, to the Sharks for Shields, left wing Jeff Friesen and a conditional draft pick. Shields did not play for the Ducks, undergoing shoulder surgery March 15.