Murray Reassures Carney

Trade rumors, fueled by out-of-town media, led Mighty Duck defenseman Keith Carney to meet with General Manager Bryan Murray recently.

Carney said he received assurances that he was not on the trading block. Carney’s contract is up at the end of this season, but the Ducks hold a two-year option on him.

Murray said he would wait until after the season before deciding whether to activate the option. Murray also continued to say that he was not going to trade his core of players, even after the deal that sent defenseman Kurt Sauer to Colorado for defenseman Martin Skoula.

“Right now we’re not going to do anything with Keith,” Murray said. “We are going to try to keep a good hockey team here and Keith Carney is an important part of that.”

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Forward Rob Niedermayer, who has sat out 13 games because of a groin injury, said he would practice with the team today and could return to the lineup as soon as this weekend.

“We’ll see how it feels after that,” Niedermayer said. “I think it’s just a matter of getting in better game shape.”

Forward Michael Holmqvist also has been skating but said he was not ready to return from a slightly torn abdominal muscle. Defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh, meanwhile, said he wasn’t sure whether he would return this season from shoulder surgery. He said he would make that decision when he was further along in his rehabilitation.