Anaheim Ducks GM Brian Burke has been very busy over the past week, shipping Mathieu Schneider to Atlanta and signing forward Teemu Selanne. The latter however put the Ducks over the salary cap by $1.22 million, requiring another move to cut salary and get back under the cap.

Burke made the move today by shipping veteran blueliner Sean O'Donnell to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a condition pick in 2009.

The trade moves O'Donnell's $1.25 million salary off the books and places the Ducks just under the $56.7 million cap.

It also addresses two needs for the Kings, acquiring an experienced "stay-at-home" blueliner and adding more salary to nudge them closer to the league's mandatory minimum cap level of $40.7 million.

For O'Donnell it brings his career full circle, returning to the team where he began his NHL career and spent six seasons until moving on to seasons with the Minnesota Wild, New Jersey Devils, Boston Bruins, Phoenix Coyotes and the Ducks, where he won a Stanley Cup in 2007.

The Mathieu Schneider trade watch is finally over.

After months of speculation the Anaheim Ducks today dealt the veteran blueliner to the Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for defenseman Ken Klee, forward Brad Larsen and a minor league prospect.

The move provides valuable experience and depth to the Thrashers defense corps, giving them three strong puck-moving defensemen with Schneider, Tobias Enstrom and Ron Hainsey.

For the Ducks they move his expensive salary, which gets them under the league's $56.7 million salary cap, but in taking on the combined salaries of Klee and Larsen ($1.9 million) it might not leave enough cap space to sign UFA winger Teemu Selanne.

The Ducks were sitting at just over $58 million prior to the deal, so dumping Schneider's salary should push them under $52.5 million, but in adding the Klee and Larsen salaries that'll likely push the payroll over $54 million.

Now if Selanne is willing to consider signing for, say, less than $1.5 million, it's not a problem, although it would leave the Ducks with little available cap space for possible roster moves later in the season.

It's possible Ducks GM Brian Burke might not be done dealing.

The following notable players are either on training camp tryouts with NHL teams or are on two-way contracts for this season hoping to land spots with their respective teams.

Anaheim Ducks: Eric Boguniecki, Teemu Selanne.

Carolina Hurricanes: Jeff O’Neill, Dan Lacouture.

Chicago Blackhawks: Keith Carney.

Columbus Blue Jackets: Richard Matvichuk.

Dallas Stars: Nolan Pratt

Detroit Red Wings: Darren McCarty.

Florida Panthers: Jassen Cullimore.

New York Rangers: Petr Nedved (hat tip to Chip)

Minnesota Wild: Krys Kolanos.

Ottawa Senators: Luke Richardson

Philadelphia Flyers: Jim Dowd, Bryan Berard (hat tip to "midknt").

San Jose Sharks: Jeff Friesen, Alexei Semenov.

USA Today reports the Anaheim Ducks have placed defenseman Mathieu Schneider on waivers in hopes a rival club will claim him thus clearing his $5.75 million salary off their books.

Ducks GM Brian Burke is believed hoping to sign former Ducks winger Teemu Selanne to a new contract but  he's currently over the NHL's $56.7 million salary cap by nearly $2 million. By moving Schneider he would not only get comfortably under the cap but would also free up space to sign Selanne.

It's been widely speculated that the Ducks were shopping Schneider, with some suggesting the holdup was due to teams interested in the veteran blueliner were also interested in former Toronto Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin, presently in Sweden still undecided over his playing future.

The more likely possibility is Schneider's salary is too steep for most teams to take on at this time of the year having already commited most of their available cap space earlier in the off-season.

Burke had hinted he'd spoken with LA Kings GM Dean Lombardi regarding Schneider but nothing was worked out. Subsequent reports in the LA media suggest Lombardi is interested in a more defensive blueliner rather than an offensive one like Schneider.

It remains to be seen if anyone claims Schneider off waivers but given his salary that appears doubtful. Burke could demote Schneider and then place him on recall waivers, but then if a team claims him the Ducks will still be on the hook for half his contract.

That'll put the Ducks under the salary cap but leave them very little available cap space for the season, let alone enough money to sign Selanne.

He could also leave Schneider in the minors which will clear his salary completely from their salary cap count but they'd still have to pay him the full $5.75 million, which is a lot of money to spend on one player to ride the buses with the farm team.

As one of my readers pointed out, because Schneider is over 35 and in the second year of a contract two or more years in length, his salary would not be cleared from the Ducks cap if he's demoted to the minors. The recall rule however whereby half his salary is picked up by any team claiming him remains in effect. Hat tip to 'maytag' for the heads-up.

I'll update this post accordingly if Schneider clears or is claimed.

Update: Schneider cleared waivers today at noon ET.

The Hockey News recently published its annual NHL yearbook and as usual one of the notable features is its Top Fifty NHL Players listing for the upcoming season.

Although I’m now a free-lance contributor to THN.com that won’t prevent me from critiquing this list, and no, this isn’t a free plug for The Hockey News on my part as I reviewed their rankings last summer prior to contributing to their site.

Anyway, here’s how THN ranked their top fifty players for the upcoming season:

1.       Sidney Crosby
2. Alex Ovechkin
3. Henrik Zetterburg
4. Pavel Datsyuk
5. Vincent Lecavalier
6. Niklas Lidstrom
7. Roberto Luongo
8. Jarome Iginla
9. Evgeni Malkin
10. Dany Heatley
11. Chris Pronger
12. Daniel Alfredsson
13. Marian Gaborik
14. Henrik Lundqvist
15. Brendan Morrow
16. Evgeni Nabokov
17. Marian Hossa
18. Ilya Kovalchuk
19. Eric Staal
20. Zdeno Chara
21. Joe Thornton
22. Dion Phaneuf
23. Martin Brodeur
24. J-S Giguere
25. Martin St-Louis
26. Scott Niedermayer
27. Brian Rafalski
28. Sergei Gonchar
29. Marty Turco
30. Ryan Getzlaf
31. Andrei Markov
32. Zach Parise
33. Ales Hemsky
34. Jason Spezza
35. Vesa Toskola
36. Rick Nash
37. Joe Sakic
38. Scott Gomez
39. Ryan Miller
40. Jonathan Toews
41. Daniel Sedin
42. Daniel Briere
43. Anze Kopitar
44. Miika Kiprusoff
45. Paul Statsny
46. Shane Doan
47. Derek Roy
48. Mark Savard
49. Mike Richards
50. Patrick Kane

If we’re going by last season’s performance I’d rank Ovechkin over Crosby but they’re definitely 1-2 in my estimation and the case can be made for either to be ranked as the league’s top player.

Lidstrom should’ve been ranked higher, perhaps 3rd or 4th, but he’s definitely the league’s best defenseman.  

As for Luongo, he’s a great goaltender and perhaps will justify that higher ranking this season but I’d swap Brodeur for Luongo if we’re basing this on last season’s performance. I know Brodeur’s getting older and he’s fast approaching his best before date but until he does in my opinion he’s still the league’s best goaltender.  Nabokov, Luongo and Lundqvist are nipping at his heels though.

I would also rank Malkin higher than Iglinla and Lecavalier, ranking him no lower than 6th.

Pronger’s ranking will likely draw some criticism given his penchant for dirty play but he’s still among the game’s elite defensemen and every team (yes, even the Oilers) would love to have him on their roster.

Morrow deserves to be on this list but I wouldn’t rank him above Kovalchuk, Staal, Thornton, Brodeur and Nash and consider him ranked far too high.

Speaking of Kovalchuk, it’s good to see him finally getting his due from THN as his ranking last season (48th) was in my opinion an insult.

And why is Thornton, who was again among the league’s leading scorers, not in the top ten? Or even the top 15? Sorry, but this is far too low for a player of his caliber. Sure, the case can be made that he struggles in the playoffs, but there’s no denying his obvious talent and skills. I certainly wouldn’t rate Alfredsson, Heatley, Kovalchuk, Morrow, Gaborik, Hossa, Staal and Chara above Thornton.

Lundqvist is a terrific goalie but I don’t believe he ranks higher than Nabokov. If it were up to me, I’d rank Brodeur, Nabokov and Luongo over Lundqvist.

I also disagree with Phaneuf dropping in the rankings compared to last season and I’d give him a slight edge over Chara in ranking defensemen.

Niedermayer missed most of the first half of last season before deciding to return to action and that cost him in the rankings. Had he played a full season his ranking likely would’ve been higher.

And Toskala ranked higher than Nash, Sakic, Gomez, Toews, Kopitar, Richards and Kane?  Gimme a break!  In fact, why is Toskala even on this list? Mats Sundin or Tomas Kaberle would’ve been better choices if one is seeking decent Leafs (or former Leafs) to be on this list.

I would also rank Richards higher than where he placed (probably about ten spots higher), but there’s no question he deserves to be on this list and his stock will continue to rise.

As for the rest of this listing, I really don't have much of a quibble over where most were ranked. Some could probably be moved up or down a spot or two but for the most part I have no real argument over the rest of these rankings.

That’s my two cents, folks.  Let me hear yours in the comments, and remember, this is THN’s listing, not mine, so don’t complain to me about where they placed these players as I had no input in this.

The Score Sports Forecaster was first out of the blocks with their NHL Season Preview for 2008-09, and the good folks at Andrew's Dallas Stars Page has a quick review of the magazine's preview of the Stars, but also the projected playoff teams and where they'll finish the season:

Western Conference
1. Detroit Red Wings 2. Dallas Stars 3. Edmonton Oilers 4. San Jose Sharks 5. Chicago Blackhawks 6. Anaheim Ducks 7. Calgary Flames 8. Phoenix Coyotes

Eastern Conference
1. Philadelphia Flyers 2. Washington Capitals 3. Ottawa Senators 4. Montreal Canadiens 5. Pittsburgh Penguins 6. Carolina Hurricanes 7. New Jersey Devils 8. New York Rangers

---

I'll have my projections by late September as we get closer to the season and we have a better idea of what the rosters will look like.

As for the Forecaster, you'll have to buy the issue (I don't get any kickbacks for this) to find out why they're ranking the teams as they have.

And since I'm going on vacation for a few days starting August 14th, this is as good a topic as any for you folks to discuss in the comments, and please, keep it clean!

I don’t usually engage in this much but since there’s been a dire dearth of any real hockey news to comment on I suppose it’s as good a time as any to shoot down some of the wacky trade and free agent rumors flying around.

First off, the Florida Panthers are not shopping defenseman Jay Bouwmeester. Sure, the fact that he signed a one-year contract taking him up to UFA status next summer likely means this is his final season with the Panthers, but as long as GM Jacques Martin believes there’s a chance to re-sign Bouwmeester he won’t be dealt, at least not at this time of the year.

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Bryan McCabe may apparently be willing to consider waiving his movement clause to accept a trade but that doesn’t mean he’ll be dealt soon.

According to recent reports out of Toronto the Leafs are believed waiting for a list from McCabe of teams he’d waive his clause to be dealt to, and the odds are that list will likely be a short one containing Cup contenders or perennial playoff teams.

And no, I don’t see him accepting a trade to the NY Islanders, because quite frankly I don’t think the Islanders, who now appear committed to rebuilding with youth, would be interested in his fat contract.

The Minnesota Wild are not shopping Marian Gaborik. That rumor is pure BS. They’re hoping to re-sign him and have no “contingency plans” to trade him now. As of this writing GM Doug Risebrough will be meeting with Gaborik in Slovakia this week to open contract talks.

Maybe later on in the season if Gaborik decides that he wants to test next summer’s UFA market Risebrough will shop him. Not now.

 Oh, and while I think of it, Bouwmeester isn’t being shopped for McCabe or Gaborik.

How do I know this? Because most NHL general managers are either on vacation, just back from vacation or soon to be heading out on vacation. Most teams have committed their cap space and have their rosters pretty much set. Heck, even a good number of player agents are taking this time to get in a little R&R.

That’s why there’s been almost nothing to report in terms of real hockey news. It’s the same thing every year.

Since the 2005-06 season ended, few significant trades have occured between the months of August and December, none of those involving players of the caliber of Gaborik, Bouwmeester and McCabe.

The reason for that is, quite simply, limited cap space, significantly limiting the market for players of that caliber during that time period.

Teams that will be busy in the coming weeks are those currently over the salary cap, like Philadelphia, Anaheim, Calgary and Chicago, who’ll have to dump some salary via trade or demotions to get under the cap by the start of the season.

The Nashville Predators could be forced to make a move or two via trade or free agency if Alexander Radulov remains in Russia for next season, while the Tampa Bay Lightning are heavy on forwards but light on defensive depth which suggests they might have a move or two remaining before next season begins.

That’s where your focus should be, rumormongers, not on dreaming up fantasy trades. 

Nearly two weeks into the NHL’s UFA pool and the depth is getting shallower.

The biggest free agent signing of note over the past several days was that of former Chicago Blackhawks forward Jason Williams, who after several days of speculation out of Ottawa had him signing with the Senators (“Done Deal” according to some internet sites) would up inking a one-year, $2.2 million contract with the Atlanta Thrashers.

Williams, 27, is coming off an injury-shortened season which saw him net 13 goals and 36 points in 43 games (four of those goals game-winners), leading the Blackhawks in power-play ice time until a sports hernia sidelined him for 35 games.

This is a good signing for a Thrashers team thin on offense heading into next season. He can play center or right wing and it’s possible he might be placed on the same line as star left wing Ilya Kovalchuk, especially on the powerplay.

In a move suggesting a trade is in the offing the Anaheim Ducks signed former Florida Panthers defenseman Steve Montador to a one-year, $800K contract.

Montador, 28, had a career year with the Panthers last season, with 23 points in 73 games and plus-minus of +1.

The Ducks are expected to dump some salary to free up valuable cap space before the start of next season with Mathieu Schneider and his $5.75 million contract for next season considered the likely candidate and Montador filling his spot on the Ducks blueline.

Tampa Bay Lightning ownership continue to load up at forward, re-signing veteran center Chris Gratton to  a one-year contract.

With seventeen forwards currently on the roster (including 2008 first overall pick Steve Stamkos) it believed the Bolts will soon shop one or two forwards for some much needed veteran depth on their blueline.

Frequently suggested trade candidates include Jussi Jokinen and Michel Ouellet.

The Toronto Maple Leafs addressed a need for more toughness, acquiring checker Ryan Hollweg from the NY Rangers for a fifth rounder in 2009.

Hollweg’s aggressive style should make him a good fit on the Leafs fourth line.

As expected former Vancouver Canucks forward Brendan Morrison was signed on Monday, and stayed on the West Coast, joining the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

Terms have yet to be disclosed but it’s reportedly either a one or two year contract.

It’ll be interesting to see what Morrison’s new contract will be, given the Ducks are currently sitting around $54 million in cap space.

Of course the Ducks coud get some additional cap relief if as rumored they end up peddling Mathieu Schneider’s $5.75 million contract for next season.

Morrison’s performance has been hampered by injury over the past three seasons, two of which he played through nagging pain which clearly affected his play. If he can stay healthy this season however he could be good for 55-60 points this season and provide valuable offensive depth to a Ducks club lacking scoring punch last season.

The Tampa Bay Lightning meanwhile continued to add to their forward depth by signing veteran forward Mark Recchi to a one-year, $1.25 million contract.

For those wondering why the Bolts are loading up at forward at the expense of their defense, it’s believed they’re planning to shop a forward (possibly Jussi Jokinen or Michel Ouellet) for a defenseman.

Recchi had a rough start to last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, netting only 8 points in 19 games and becoming a healthy scratch, but rallied after being dealt to the Atlanta Thrashers with 40 points in 53 games.

If Recchi can manage that same pace for a full season with the Bolts he could be a good, affordable addition.

The New York Islanders were looking for affordable depth at center in this summer’s UFA market and believe to have found it in veteran Doug Weight, signing him to a one-year, $1.75 million contract.

Weight has had a long and productive career as a first and second line center but it was apparent last season that age was finally catching up to the 38-year-old, who managed only 24 points in 67 game in 2007-08 split between the Anaheim Ducks and St. Louis Blues.

It’s doubtful Weight will post up more than 40 points next season but the Isles are counting on his experience and leadership more than anything else.

NHL general managers may be gearing up for the noon ET commencement of the annual unrestricted free agent spending frenzy but some are also taking care of a few re-signings.

-The Anaheim Ducks reportedly are close to re-signing restricted free agent Corey Perry to a multi-year deal similar to that signed by teammate Ryan Getzlaf last season (which was worth over $5 million per season) but due to salary cap issues apparently cannot officially announce the deal until after noon on July 1st.

No one should be surprised by this news. After losing Dustin Penner to an offer sheet from the Edmonton Oilers last summer there was no way Ducks GM Brian Burke would risk losing Perry to an offer sheet from another rival team this summer.

-The Buffalo Sabres have been busy, re-signing forward Paul Gaustad to a four-year contract worth $2.3 million per season against their cap, and opening contract talks with goaltender Ryan Miller, who’s eligible for UFA status next July.

 After losing players to the UFA market over the last three seasons Sabres management have shifted gears and now hope to get Miller re-signed this summer (maybe on July 1st?) and intend on opening contract talks with Jason Pominville (another player eligible for UFA status next summer) very soon.

-The defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings are still trying to keep defenseman Brad Stuart off the UFA market with last-minute contract talks but they did successfully lock up blueliner Andreas Lilja to a two-year deal worth an affordable $1.25 million per season.

 -It remains to be seen if the San Jose Sharks can retain impending UFA blueliner Brian Campbell but they did ensure that they’d a physical presence on the roster by re-signing enforcer Jody Shelley to a two-year contract.

-The Florida Panthers raised some eyebrows today by re-signing forward Rostislav Olesz to a six-year contract extension worth $3.15 million per season.

That’s a lot of coin to invest in an injury-prone young forward whose best season was a 30-point performance in 2006-07, but the Panthers are obviously investing in potential here, expecting Olesz to blossom into the scoring star he’s been projected to be.

For their sake that potential had better pan out, otherwise they’ll have an unmoveable contract on their hands.

Sorry for the absence, folks, I took a day off on Friday and my wife and I are spending some time with my son before he heads out for basic training with the Naval Reserve on Sunday.

Lots of activity leading up to July 1st as teams scramble to lock up their RFA players and cut loose some cap space via waivers and buyouts. Here’s the most significant as of today (June 28):

The Tampa Bay Lightning acquired the rights of forwards Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a fourth round pick in 2009. Should the Bolts re-sign Malone prior to July 1st the pick is upgraded to a third rounder.  

It’s a bold move by the new Lightning ownership to gain an inside track on signing one or both, but if it doesn’t work out all it costs them is a mid-round pick next season, one that could be easily replaced by trade between now and next year’s draft if required.

If it does pan out and they manage to sign one or both it’s a small price to pay.

The Philadelphia Flyers as expected re-signed forward Jeff Carter to a three-year, $15 million contract extension, and no, this isn’t a “sign and trade” on their part.

This signing pushes the Flyers payroll to over $51 million next season so if they’re still looking at landing a quality puckmoving blueliner via free agency they’ll still have to find a way to free up more cap space.

The Anaheim Ducks bought out the remaining season of Todd Bertuzzi’s contract in a move designed to free up cap space to re-sign key free agents like Corey Perry but they might still need to move another player, possibly Mathieu Schneider, now that Scott Niedermayer has decided to return with the Ducks to play out the final season of his contract.

As expected the Calgary Flames announced the re-signing of impending UFA center Daymond Langkow to a four-year, $20 million contract, but also re-upped Craig Conroy to a two-year, $2.1 million contract and retained forward Eric Nystrom and goaltender Curtis McElhinney to one-way contracts, suggesting the latter two have locked up roster spots for next season.

A solid playoff performance by Loui Eriksson likely cemented a new two-year contract extension worth $3.2 million ($1.5 million for next season and $1.7 million for 2009-10), who also had 31 points in 69 NHL  games last season.

A Campbell was re-signed but it wasn’t the Sharks’ Brian, but rather Gregory Campbell of the Florida Panthers to a two-year contract believed worth more than the $525K per season he earned in his previous contract.

The Panthers also bought out the final season of forward Jozef Stumpel’s contract while the NY Islanders have bought out the remaining season of Shawn Bates’ contract and the Columbus Blue Jackets did the same with Duvie Westcott.

Nothing like a $6 million jump in the salary cap to spur some teams into using the buyout option. Last season only one player of note, the Islanders Alexei Yashin, was bought out; this season, nearly a dozen, although two, David Tanabe and Dan Cloutier, intend to fight the buyout by insisting they’re not medically cleared yet to play next season.  

The Minnesota Wild took steps to add more depth to their defense corps by acquiring veteran blueliner Marc-Andre Bergeron from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a third round pick in the 2008 entry draft.

Bergeron has terrific offensive skills, a smooth skater with a tremendous slapshot that ranks amongst the hardest in the league. However, his defensive skills are average at best and tend to leave something to be desired.

The Wild are Bergeron’s fourth team in two seasons. He was dealt to the New York Islanders mid-way through the 2006-07 season. After clashing at times with the Isles coaching staff Bergeron was dealt to the Anaheim Ducks at the 2008 trade deadline but saw limited regular season action with the Ducks and no playoff time.

Bergeron’s offensive skills will make him a welcome addition to the Wild’s powerplay but it’ll be interesting to see how he responds to the demands of head coach Jacques Lemaire, who preaches a defense-first style.

He’ll either blossom with the Wild or wilt.

The respective management of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Anaheim Ducks have begun re-signing their free agent players.

On Tuesday the Blue Jackets announced the re-signing of defenseman Jan Hejda to a three year, $6 million contract, while the Ducks re-signed forward Ryan Carter to a three-year contract.

Hejda’s new contract breaks down as $2 million per season against the Jackets salary cap, while financial terms for Carter’s new deal have yet to be disclosed.

The 29-year-old Hejda was coming off his second NHL season and his first with Columbus but under the terms of the NHL’s CBA he was eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer.

Given his statistics from last season, however, it’s not surprising that Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson was loath to lose him to the UFA market. In 81 games this season Hejda registered 13 points and an impressive plus-minus rating of +20, best on the Jackets and tied for tenth amongst NHL defensemen.

Hejda was a true workhorse on the Blue Jackets defense, regularly logging over 22 minutes of ice time per game. Had he hit this summer’s unrestricted free agent market he would’ve attracted considerable interest from clubs seeking defensive depth, so it’s a good move by Howson to retain Hejda and at a reasonable price.

Carter, 24, saw limited action with the Ducks this season as he bounced between the big club and their farm team in Portland earlier in the season. Recalled in mid-December he stuck with the Ducks until sidelined in late-February with a broken wrist, although he returned in time to play in all six of their playoff games this spring.

He was only under contract for $560K this season so it’s unlikely he got much more than that, however, Carter is to be commended for his hard work in making and sticking with the defending Stanley Cup champions this season.

The Hockey News’ 2007-08 Yearbook ranked him tenth among their top ten prospects, noting he “combines skill with a physical presence”, which were notable in his limited action this season with the Ducks. He’s also a versatile forward, capable of playing both center and left wing.

The first round elimination of the Anaheim Ducks not only means there will be a new Stanley Cup champion in 2008 but also the possibility that the NHL careers of Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne might finally be over.

This unexpectedly early exit by the defending champs will raise questions about their off-season plans. The most significant:

- Rumors of GM Brian Burke possibly leaving to take over as team president or GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs have been swirling for months.

- Burke or his successor if he leaves will have to determine if they’ve got enough money to retain their key free agent players.

- Corey Perry is a restricted free agent whom they must re-sign before July 1st to prevent him getting an offer sheet from a rival club.

- Veteran forward Doug Weight faces an uncertain future as he probably won’t be re-signed.

- Trade rumors will likely dog the team over their lack of offensive production this season, among the lowest in the NHL.

But the most immediate question will be the respective futures of Niedermayer and Selanne, who kept fans guessing throughout last summer and the first half of this season if they’d return to the Ducks or retire.

Eventually they returned, which bolstered the Ducks in the regular season but ultimately their presence wasn’t enough to prevent the Dallas Stars from ending Anaheim’s dreams of consecutive championships.

Their contract situations are identical to last summer. Selanne is again an unrestricted free agent while Niedermayer is signed through next season at $6.75 million, although he now only has that one season remaining.

Considering that Ryan Getzlaf and Chris Kunitz re-signed new contracts that begin next season which will take up $5.325 and $3.725 million per season respectively, that could rule out a possible return of Selanne if he so desired.

Burke is on record as saying he won’t be as patient with Niedermayer as he was last year when awaiting his future plans, which means the Ducks GM will probably want a decision from the smooth-skating blueliner before July 1st, perhaps sooner.

It’s unlikely Niedermayer and Selanne will take as long to make decisions on their respective hockey-playing futures as they did this season. It’s possible a decision from both could come as early as this week.

If this season was, indeed, the real last dance for Niedermayer and Selanne, it will bring to a close two future Hall of Fame careers.

Niedermayer has been one of the best defensemen of his era and certainly ranked among the very best in NHL history. He was a key member of four Stanley Cup championship teams (three with New Jersey and one with Anaheim), won the Norris trophy in 2004 as the league’s best defenseman and the Conn Smythe trophy as the 2007 playoff MVP.

Selanne has been of the most exciting goals-corers of his era, with 552 goals and 1158 points in 1067 games. He set the existing NHL rookie record for single season goals (76) and points (132) as the 1992-93 rookie of the year, won the Richard trophy as the 1999 NHL goal-scoring leader, the Masterton in 2006 for perseverance, and a Stanley Cup with Anaheim.