Ducks Move Forward With Trades

Through a dizzying two-hour span Thursday, the Mighty Ducks made one thing clear as a frantic NHL trade deadline passed. The reminders of their magical 2002-03 season are quickly becoming distant memories.

The Ducks shook up their roster by trading away defensemen Keith Carney and Sandis Ozolinsh, two key parts of their Stanley Cup run, and acquiring forward Jeff Friesen and defenseman Sean O’Donnell in four separate transactions as they pursue a spot in the Western Conference playoffs.

Carney, 36, and Finnish prospect Juha Alen were sent to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for minor-league defenseman Brett Skinner and a second-round pick in this year’s draft. Ozolinsh, 33, was traded to the New York Rangers for a 2006 third-round pick.

The Ducks deemed Carney expendable by picking up the 34-year-old O’Donnell from the Phoenix Coyotes for minor-league center Joel Perrault. Moments later, they addressed their need for secondary scoring by acquiring Friesen from the Washington Capitals for a second-round pick.

What is certain is the Ducks have only five players left from the team that lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals to the New Jersey Devils. Less certain is how the deals will affect their push for the postseason.

In dealing away one-time defensive cornerstones in Carney and Ozolinsh, General Manager Brian Burke said he realized the deals might not be viewed as an upgrade for a team that was three points behind the eighth-place Edmonton Oilers after Thursday’s games.

“As we’re putting these things together, I have no illusion or delusion on some of the decisions you have to make,” said Burke, who has now jettisoned six key players from that finals team. “You can’t do it based on a litmus test of what’s politically correct or what is publicly correct.

“We are aware that people will say, ‘Wait a minute, that’s not an upgrade on what we have.’ We rewarded that group that got us to this point.”

Burke also said he didn’t want to trade Carney to a team they’re chasing in the Western Conference, but the Canucks offered the best package for a player who will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. Carney, who is making $2.052 million, had two goals and 16 assists and was a plus-13 while playing in all 61 games.

“There was great interest in Keith,” Burke said. “We knew that going in.”

As for Ozolinsh, the general manager said his differences with the seven-time All-Star were solely on the ice. Ozolinsh has dealt with injuries and substance abuse in a poor season but returned to score two game-winning goals in his first four games back with the Ducks.

Some players, including defenseman Ruslan Salei, said they believed that Ozolinsh was regaining his form.

“There’s no politically correct way to do some of the things we have to do,” Burke said. “Regardless of what players might have thought about that, we felt this was a smart decision.”

In trading Ozolinsh, the Ducks shed $2.75 million that will be owed to him next season and will allow them to be aggressive in free agency this off-season. But they addressed the present by reacquiring Friesen, a 12-year veteran who has topped 20 goals five times.

Friesen, who was with New Jersey when they won the Cup over the Ducks, brings speed and experience on the left side. Burke said that rookie forward Dustin Penner, whose spot Friesen will likely take, could be sent to minor-league Portland.

It is a bit of deja vu for the 29-year-old Friesen, who came to Anaheim from San Jose in the Teemu Selanne trade a week before deadline day in 2001. Plagued by a groin injury this season in Washington, Friesen has only seven points in 33 games, but said he is healthy and looking forward to a fresh start.

“I was assuming I was going to get traded,” Friesen said. “I’m glad Brian showed faith in me to give up a good pick for me to come here.”

Said Burke: “Sometimes players are in the wrong zip code.... We think this is a good spot for him.”

O’Donnell, who said he requested a trade last week after signing with Phoenix in the off-season, sees irony at joining the Ducks after spending his first six years with the rival Kings.

“There are no guarantees, but it’s going to be exciting to get into the hunt.” he said. “No matter what happens this year, I think it’s going to be a team that’s in the playoffs for a long time to come.... I never really liked the Ducks, so it’s interesting going there.”

Burke insisted the moves Thursday weren’t a sign that they had given up on this season and made clear that he would have traded the likes of Salei or goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere if he only planned to dump salary.

“In the world we live in, people take snapshots of things,” he said. “As a general manager, I want to watch the whole movie.”