Trade Winds Are Going Wrong Way

Give enough monkeys enough typewriters, and someday you may get Shakespearean sonnets.

The same principle seems to apply to trade rumors. Throw enough mud at the wall enough times, and one clump will stick.

The mud flung recently in newspapers in Toronto and New York has the Mighty Ducks shopping right wing Teemu Selanne around the NHL. The most commonly mentioned deal has Selanne going to New Jersey for Denis Pederson, Brendan Morrison and a defenseman. The Ducks supposedly would get the depth they’ve long lacked and would be rid of a high salary.

What those rumors ignore is the Ducks would also lose one of the NHL’s best players, a dynamic, well-liked winger who combines with Paul Kariya to form the most exciting one-two punch in a generally punchless NHL. They’d also risk alienating Kariya, who is close to Selanne and plays with--and off--him so well.

The Kings also figure prominently in current rumors. The Ottawa Sun, among others, claims the Kings are considering sending Ziggy Palffy, Aki Berg and Jamie Storr to Buffalo for goalie Dominik Hasek, he of the two MVP trophies.

At least in the latter case, there’s a wisp of smoke to justify the fire. King President Tim Leiweke said last Saturday General Manager Dave Taylor had inquired about Hasek, but the Sabres said they are committed to keeping Hasek and the teams have no talks in progress.

Leiweke repeated that Tuesday, as he watched the Kings’ 5-3 loss to the Mighty Ducks at a sold-out Staples Center. When he wasn’t pounding the table at near-misses by the Kings and yelling at Berg to hit someone, Leiweke labeled the Palffy-for-Hasek rumors “totally untrue,” and said no deal is imminent.

Nor should there be. Palffy has done all the Kings hoped for and more at both ends of the ice and has combined with Luc Robitaille and Jozef Stumpel to form a potent first line as good as any in the league. Hasek’s physical condition is as much in doubt as his NHL future, and adding him would not put the Kings among the favorites to win the Stanley Cup, especially if they give up several key players to get him.

“Dave knows he has a green light if he finds something that will make the team better,” Leiweke said. “We’ve never [financially] restricted Dave’s ability to improve the team.”

The Kings may not make any moves. They’ve weathered a succession of injuries and only winger Donald Audette (sprained ankle) is out of the lineup. They have had an above-average power play all season and the addition of defenseman Jere Karalahti added muscle and a fearsome shot from the point. Nor is one bad night by Stephane Fiset reason to clamor for Hasek. The defensive breakdowns in front of him were more grievous than any mistakes he made.

Can the Kings go far in the playoffs without making any major trades?

“Our hockey guys say yes, and I trust our hockey guys,” Leiweke said.

The Ducks have gotten their power play together but may need to fortify their defense. They’re happy with their forwards and Guy Hebert’s goaltending, but they could use a veteran on the blue line to add muscle and poise.

But they shouldn’t make any move if the price is Selanne. Unless the return is Scott Gomez, Patrik Elias and Scott Stevens.

Or the best player in New Jersey--Bruce Springsteen.

“I like both teams,” Leiweke said, nodding toward the ice. “We’re more a depth team and they have those two guys [Kariya and Selanne], and those two guys are awfully good.”

Their rivalry enlivened an arena that too often is as quiet as a museum, and Leiweke couldn’t help wonder what the atmosphere would be like if it had been a playoff game. Of course, the Ducks must first get into a playoff position. Their victory Tuesday moved them up a notch to ninth, one point behind the eighth-place Kings. And the Kings must stay in the top eight.

“Forget the playoffs for a second,” Leiweke said. “It would be nice for these teams to get to the point where they’re both competitive and fighting for playoff spots in April and creating intensity in the marketplace. This is only our second game. We still play each other four more times.

“I heard one of the local radio stations today saying how we don’t have a rivalry. We do. It just hasn’t had the intensity it could and should have until we meet in the playoffs. Until then the rivalry is nothing more than who has more jerseys in the stands.”