Mum’s the Word for Team Officials

Disney officials refused to comment on whether Mighty Duck General Manager Pierre Gauthier’s job is on the line this season.

“Whether the story is positive or negative, as a matter of policy, we do not respond to innuendo or rumors by unnamed sources,” Anaheim Sports Inc. spokesman Tim Mead said.

Disney officials are concerned about the Ducks’ performance under Gauthier the past two seasons and about a lack of communication, internally and externally, a hockey source said.

Gauthier, who is in his fourth season as the team’s general manager, declined to comment on the situation.

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Defenseman Keith Carney, out since Nov. 7 because of a chipped bone in his right hand, was examined Monday, then had his hand placed back in a cast.

Carney, a key member of the Duck defense, has missed seven games.

“The indication I have is not to even worry about him skating until we get back [to Anaheim],” Coach Bryan Murray said after a 6-0 loss to the Florida Panthers on Wednesday. “He’s going to need some time even after they take the cast off, to skate again, to handle the puck. It’s a big hole in our lineup.”