Ducks Agree to Contract With Prospal

Left wing Vaclav Prospal, the leading scorer for the Tampa Bay Lightning last season, has agreed to a five- or six-year deal with the Mighty Ducks that could be worth at least $20 million with incentives, sources said Wednesday.

Prospal, an unrestricted free agent who made $1.55 million last season, had career highs of 79 points and 57 assists, and tied a career high with 22 goals. An official announcement is expected within a few days.

A play-making forward who can line up at center or wing, Prospal, 28, is the Ducks’ first major free-agent signing since Paul Kariya left for the Colorado Avalanche earlier this month.

Prospal, who will be playing for his fifth team in seven seasons, had scored only 66 goals in his career before his breakthrough season.

Prospal had two fewer points than Kariya had for the Ducks last season. Kariya, the Ducks’ all-time leader in virtually every scoring category, signed a one-year deal with the Avalanche for $1.2 million after the Ducks declined to make him a qualifying offer of $10 million for next season.

Prospal turned down Tampa Bay’s offer of a five-year deal at $2.75 million a year, with incentives that could have increased the deal to $3.25 million a year.

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Duck defenseman Niclas Havelid filed for arbitration. Havelid, who made $830,000 last season, was a vital player in the Ducks’ run to the Stanley Cup finals.

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The 2003-04 NHL schedule includes an outdoor game in Edmonton, an increase in games against divisional opponents, and Mighty Duck and King home games against the Toronto Maple Leafs for the first time since 1998.

The Mighty Ducks begin play Oct. 8 at Dallas and the Kings open at Detroit on Oct. 9. Defending Stanley Cup champion New Jersey plays at the Kings on Nov. 25 and at the Ducks on Nov. 26.

In an effort to increase divisional rivalries, NHL teams will play six games against each team in their division, an increase from five games last season.

The NHL’s first regular-season outdoor game will be played Nov. 22 between Montreal and Edmonton at 50,000-seat Commonwealth Stadium.

Toronto, which had not played in Los Angeles or Anaheim since moving to the Eastern Conference before the 1998-99 season, plays at the Mighty Ducks on Nov. 12 and at the Kings on Nov. 13.

The April 4 regular-season conclusion is the earliest since the 1990-91 season ended March 31, 1991.

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The Kings signed left wing Jon Sim to a one-year deal.

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Staff writer Chris Foster contributed to this report.