Olausson Finally Gets to Play

Veteran defenseman Fredrik Olausson returned to the Mighty Duck lineup Sunday after sitting out 10 games as a healthy scratch.

He played 11 minutes 33 seconds, the fewest of the Ducks’ defensemen, in a 4-0 victory over Carolina.

“It was good to be back in there,” Olausson said. “I missed playing games. It’s like writing an article and not being able to get it published.”

Olausson replaced Vitaly Vishnevski, who Coach Mike Babcock has been unhappy with lately. It was the second time in Vishnevski’s career that he has been a healthy scratch.

“I made the decision when I got to the rink today,” Babcock said.

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Left wing Mike Leclerc also returned to the lineup after sitting out one game because of a sore left knee. He had surgery on the knee in November and has played through soreness since.

“It’ll be like this the rest of the season,” Leclerc said. “Game to game.”

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Al Coates, former Calgary Flame general manager, is considered a leading candidate to replace Doug Moss, who resigned as the Ducks’ vice president of business operations in November.

Coates is vice president and general manager of the Hartford Wolf Pack, the New York Rangers’ minor league team. He was the Flames’ general manager from 1995 to 2000.

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The Ducks will honor former goalie Guy Hebert in a pregame ceremony next season, probably before their opener.

-- Chris Foster