Focus Is on Free Agents

The Mighty Ducks ended the NHL draft by selecting four more players and trading none Sunday.

Team management will now focus on decisions about current players.

The Ducks will pick up defenseman Keith Carney’s two-year, $5.6-million option before the July 1 deadline.

But they also must decide which restricted free agents to give qualifying offers.

Forward Rob Niedermayer, defenseman Ruslan Salei and defenseman Vitaly Vishnevski are the three most prominent unsigned free agents.

The Ducks also will listen to trade offers. Salei, forward Vaclav Prospal and forward Petr Sykora are said to be available.

Sunday, the Ducks finished the draft by taking Matt Auffrey, a right wing on the United States national under-18 team, in the sixth round; Gabriel Bouthillette, a 19-year-old goaltender from Quebec, in the seventh round; Matt Christie, a 19-year-old center from Miami of Ohio, in the eighth round; and Janne Pesonen, a 22-year-old forward from Finland, in the ninth round.

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-- Chris Foster