Ducks, Smirnov Reach Agreement

The Mighty Ducks signed left wing Alexei Smirnov, their first-round pick in the 2000 draft, Tuesday. He agreed to a three-year contract that will pay him $1.75-million a season and a $1.125-million signing bonus.

The hope is that Smirnov, 20, will give the Ducks toughness up front, something General Manager Bryan Murray said the team lacks. Smirnov is 6 feet 3, 211 pounds with breakaway speed, according to scouting reports.

“He is a big, strong, pretty hard-working kid,” Murray said. “He has some ability to score. He won’t be a big goal scorer, but he has the size to play in the corners and be a contributor offensively.”

Smirnov slipped in the 2000 draft, as teams were concerned about his consistency. He was rated the third-best skater in Europe before the draft, but was available when the Ducks made him the 12th overall pick.

But Smirnov was impressive when he attended the Ducks’ training camp in 2000 and played well for CSKA of the Russian Hockey League last season. He had five goals and 16 points in 48 games.

The Ducks are continuing talks to sign forward Stanislav Chistov this weekend at the NHL draft. Chistov, the team’s top pick and the fifth player taken in 2001, is in New York after being released from a two-year commitment in the Russia army.

Murray also has to sign a large group of restricted free agents, including forwards Paul Kariya, Matt Cullen and Steve Rucchin, defensemen Ruslan Salei, Vitaly Vishnevski and Pavel Trnka and goalie Steve Shields. Kariya, Cullen, Rucchin, Salei and Shields are eligible for arbitration.