Samsonov Expects to Play for Bruins

One regular-season game after a 50-game layoff following wrist surgery gave Sergei Samsonov the news he wanted: He’s ready for the playoffs.

The speedy, shifty wing said Monday that there’s soreness and pain in his right wrist, but he’s confident he’ll play Wednesday night in the Boston Bruins’ playoff opener at New Jersey.

“I feel pretty comfortable going into the playoffs,” he said after practice. “It’s always hard to play the first game after not playing for a long time and I’m happy to get it out of the way.”

Samsonov had a goal and an assist in Boston’s 8-5 victory over Buffalo on Saturday, the Bruins’ regular-season finale. He played in only eight games this season but had five goals and six assists.

His return gives Boston a solid second line behind Joe Thornton, Glen Murray and Mike Knuble. Samsonov plays with Jozef Stumpel and Marty McInnis.

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Teemu Selanne has one week to decide whether to return to the San Jose Sharks next season.

Selanne, the Sharks’ leading scorer and a nine-time All-Star, is expected to decide whether to exercise his $6.5-million option for next season before he leaves for the World Championships in his native Finland next week.

When he re-signed with San Jose last summer for less money than he probably could have made on the open market, Selanne said he planned to use the option year -- but back then, the Sharks were Stanley Cup contenders, not the last-place team they became.

The Finnish Flash didn’t allow his contract situation to become a distraction and turned in another solid season. And although Selanne was his usual upbeat self as the Sharks packed up for the summer, he gave no strong hints about his future.

“I’m going to have a big decision facing me pretty soon, but I like the stuff that’s going on here,” Selanne said. “I think we could win big here. If you look at this lineup, it can play with anybody. If we keep all of these guys together, and the young guys keep improving, this team is going to be just fine.”

Selanne’s contract requires him to make a decision on the option year within seven days of the season’s end -- although the deadline probably could be stretched a bit by the Sharks, who don’t have a full-time general manager after Dean Lombardi’s firing last month.

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New York Ranger assistant general manager Don Maloney was hired as general manager of the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack.

Maloney replaces Al Coates, who left the organization to become senior vice president of business operations for the Mighty Ducks.

Maloney was the Wolf Pack general manager for three seasons before Coates was hired in July 2000.