Pronger’s Presence Is Hard to Ignore

Chris Pronger hoped to merely fit in with the Ducks upon his arrival. As if a former NHL most valuable player in the prime of his career can just fit in.

The defenseman got the star treatment Friday on the first day of training camp as he fielded questions in a temporary interview room at Anaheim Ice, the Ducks’ practice facility. It was clear that the blockbuster July 3 trade with the Edmonton Oilers for 6-foot-6 Pronger wasn’t a standard transaction.

“We know exactly what he’s about, playing against Edmonton,” Ducks forward Todd Fedoruk said of the teams’ Western Conference finals matchup. “He was a force for them. To have him on our side ... that’s awesome.”

Pronger has sought to ease his way into the mix. He opted to take No. 25 instead of requesting the No. 44 he has worn throughout his career. Veteran Rob Niedermayer wears No. 44 for the Ducks.

He’s also fine with Scott Niedermayer being captain and the team’s established leader.

“You know what guys? Whether you have the [captain’s] letter on or not, guys are leaders and guys speak up or lead by example,” said Pronger, the 2000 Hart Trophy winner as league MVP. “We’ve got a lot of leadership here.”

Pronger endured a tumultuous off-season after asking the Oilers for a trade following their run to the Stanley Cup finals. The five-time All-Star was mildly surprised that Anaheim was the destination, given the Ducks’ ascent within the conference.

“You know, you see that more and more now in the league since free agency started,” he said. “You see that [Alex] Tanguay trade that Colorado made with Calgary in the [same] division. You’d never see that before. Now you’ve got to get the right package.”

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Jean-Sebastien Giguere said he wasn’t bothered by disparaging comments attributed to fellow goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov during the summer.

In July, Bryzgalov was quoted by a Russian newspaper as saying that the Ducks told him he would be their No. 1 goalie and that Giguere wasn’t traded because “no one wants him.” Bryzgalov has said that his comments were misconstrued in translation.

“He did explain himself to me and we’re going to leave it at that,” Giguere said. “Whatever happened happened, and it’s no big deal. It’s not the end of the world and I’ve seen worse before.”

Giguere, who is in the last season of a three-year contract, said he was happy to return and doesn’t view his battle with Bryzgalov for the starting job as a competition.

“The longer the summer was going, the more I realized that teams were getting their positions filled and the more I was expecting to come back here,” said Giguere, who won 30 games in an injury-plagued season in 2005-06.

Coach Randy Carlyle said Giguere and Bryzgalov would share the workload in the eight exhibition games.

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Right wing Shane Hynes was the lone player among the 51 in camp who did not skate. Hynes is recovering from a knee injury that limited him to 12 games last season with minor league Portland.

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eric.stephens@latimes.com