Faceoff Factor

What A Quack

Matt Bodenschatz | National Hockey League

Aug 22, 03:08 PM | Hype this story!

As Teemu Selanne ponders his future in the NHL and with the Anaheim Ducks, team management is pondering how they can trade Mathieu Schneider to create some cap room.

Sound familiar?

Last year the Ducks found themselves in a waiting game, not knowing whether team leaders Scott Niedermayer and Selanne, fresh off a Stanley Cup run, would return for an encore or hang up the skates.

Neither made a decision until the season was well underway, forcing the Ducks to trade star forward Andy McDonald — whose last name was perfect for the team, I might add — to the St. Louis Blues for the aging, declining and relatively ineffective power forward Doug Weight.

The move was designed to add some grit to the lineup, but, maybe more so, to create salary cap space so the two “more important” players could return.

Flash forward a year and we’re reliving half of the dilemma in Duckland.

Selanne is unsure of his future and, apparently feeling as though he’s more important than everyone else, appears to be in no hurry to make his decision, even as training camps move within a month of starting.

Meanwhile, the Ducks are anxious to prove just how important Selanne is by showing him that they’re willing to, once again, make a salary-cap clearing move of an important player to create room for him.

This time the victim is veteran defenseman Schneider.

Apparently the Ducks are looking to unload the $5.5 million defenseman to the first taker with hopes that Selanne will then make a decision about returning.

What team management apparently did not learn last season is that such moves aren’t in the best interest of the team.

First off, Schneider already is with the team and under contract. By signing that contract, he professed his desire to play hockey and to play for the Ducks. Selanne is not under contract, and though he has stated he has no intent to play for any other NHL team, he has not stated a true desire to continue playing — hence his lengthy decision-making process in each of the last two offseasons.

Why give up on Schneider to appease a player whose not even sure he wants to play?

Secondly, last season’s trade proved to be shortsighted and potentially hurt the team’s chances in the playoffs. MacDonald admittedly had a bad season, yet he was more effective than Weight, who was underwhelming, to say the least.

The same likely will be the case this year if the Ducks trade Schneider and lose some of their defensive depth. What appeared to be MacDonald for Weight and Selanne trade off essentially ended up being MacDonald for Selanne.

And, f Schneider is dealt, don’t expect a big return, as the idea is to dump salary. If that happens, the trade off would be Schneider for Selanne.

Both are old, while one knows he wants to play and the other is undecided.

So I ask, isSelanne really worth the hassle?

Sure, he’s a good player and a locker room leader, but at some point team management has to put its proverbial foot down.

It’s not fair to the players on the Ducks roster who are looking to play hockey without distractions, and it’s certainly not fair to Schneider — and MacDonald — who are/were cast aside to make room for a veteran who, for two consecutive years, doesn’t even know if he wants to continue his career.

The Ducks missed the boat by not giving Selanne an August 1 deadline and, consequently, will pay the price. If they didn’t have the depth to compete in the playoffs last season with Schneider on the roster, how will they compete this season without him?

This isn’t a team in the mold of the Pittsburgh Penguins that can afford to ship off veteran players because of the depth in young, developing players.

At some point the Ducks will pay the hefty price — if they haven’t already. Sure, loyalty to long-term players such as Selanne is a great selling point for the team; however, the complete lack of loyalty and professionalism in casting aside players while the other players ponder their futures is far from appealing.

If the Ducks ever find enough cap space to go shopping in the free agent market, how successful will they be in luring talent to Anaheim?

My guess is more than a few will have second thoughts before signing any sort of long-term contract without a no-trade clause.