Kariya Signs On for a Year

The Mighty Ducks, engaged in an active off-season, took care of their captain Wednesday, signing Paul Kariya to a one-year contract.

Kariya, the team’s all-time leading scorer, agreed to take his qualifying offer of $10 million in base salary with bonuses added for winning some of the NHL’s top awards.

“I want the team to continue to get better and I want to get back to playing my game,” Kariya said. “One year at a time is what I feel comfortable with. I’m not ruling out a long-term deal, but at this point going year to year is just fine with me.”

The Ducks are coming off two disappointing seasons and, although Kariya, 27, will be a restricted free agent until he is 31 under the current collective bargaining agreement, that agreement ends after the 2002-03 season. The age a player becomes an unrestricted free agent is expected to be highly contested in the negotiations.

“There is pressure on the organization to improve and Paul wants to see that as well,” Duck General Manager Bryan Murray said.

Kariya is coming off the worst full season in his eight-year career, although that says more about the talent level that surrounded him than any decline in ability. He had 32 goals and 57 points, both team highs, but considerably low for a player who has twice scored more than 100 points in a season.

The Ducks scored the second fewest goals in the NHL last season and Kariya, who has always preached the team’s party line, was outwardly frustrated at times.

“Last year was a nightmare for myself and the team,” Kariya said. “I don’t want to just get back to where I was before, I want to be better.”

Murray has sought to solve that problem with a flurry of moves this off-season, acquiring center Adam Oates, defenseman Fredrick Olausson and right wing Petr Sykora.

“I can’t remember when I’ve been so excited going into a season,” Kariya said. “I know the team is going in the right direction. We made the moves we needed to make. If we get things sorted out early, we have the talent to be the No. 1 team in the league.”

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The Ducks still need to come to terms with center Matt Cullen, defenseman Ruslan Salei, center Steve Rucchin and center Andy McDonald. Cullen and Salei have filed for arbitration, with Cullen almost certain to take that route.

Murray said that left wing Timo Parssinen and defenseman Antti-Jussi Niemi, the team’s other two restricted free agents, may not return next season.