It appears that the Ducks may be looking overseas to find a new goalie to back up franchise netminder Jonas Hiller next season.
The club is pursuing Swedish national team goalie Viktor Fasth, according to a report in the Swedish daily Expressen.
Fasth, 29, has been playing for Stockholm-based AIK of the Elitserien (Swedish Elite League) and signed a two-year contract extension with the club that runs through 2012-13.
According to the article, Fasth turned down two-way contract offers by a few NHL teams after leading Sweden to a silver medal at the World Championships but does want a chance to play in the league and is ready to come overseas as long as he gets a one-way deal.
The Ducks would not confirm the newspaper report. However, Fasth was believed to be a key part of general manager Bob Murray's scouting trip to Europe in the middle of February.
According to the Eliteserien website, Fasth has 23 wins (five coming on shutouts), 21 losses, a 2.11 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage in 47 games with AIK.
The Ducks would appear to be in need for backup to Jonas Hiller next season. Dan Ellis, who is out for another four-to-six weeks due to sports hernia surgery, has been injured for much of this year and quite possibly won't be re-signed. Jeff Deslaruiers and Iiro Tarkki are the only other immediate options.
In addition, Igor Bobkov is likely ticketed for the American Hockey League next season while 2011 second-rounder John Gibson is in his first season of junior hockey with the Kitchener Rangers.
NOTES, QUOTES
--Teemu Selanne continues to pile up impressive numbers and pass big names in the NHL record books even though he insists that the numbers don't mean all that much to him. But this latest milestone is one that he will cherish. With his assist on Bobby Ryan's third-period goal against Edmonton, Selanne matched his boyhood idol Jari Kurri by scoring his 1,398th career point to move into a tie for 19th place on the all-time scoring list. "Obviously, Jari was my idol growing up," Selanne said. "His picture was on my wall and everything. I learned a lot of different things on the ice and off the ice from him. Later, we became very good friends. It's very special. Obviously I would never imagine I would have as many points as Jari Kurri. That's a big honor."
--Corey Perry scored his 32nd goal of the season in the third period against Edmonton, giving him 200 for his career. Perry reached the milestone at 26 years of age in his seventh NHL season. "It's exciting," Perry said. "A little personal thing. It's nice to get there and keep going. But I'm not really focused on that. I'm more worried about the schedule and what we're doing and what we're trying to accomplish." Perry later added his 33rd goal with an empty-net score to clinch the Ducks' 4-2 win.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "How amazing when you think of how old the NHL is and he's the 19th highest scorer in the history of the league. That pretty well says it all. He's a pretty special player. A first-ballot Hall of Famer. All the accolades that he gets, he certainly deserves." -- Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau on Teemu Selanne, who tied Jari Kurri with 1,398 career points.
ROSTER REPORT
PLAYER NOTES:
--G Jonas Hiller extended his club record with his 26th consecutive start. Hiller made 34 saves and allowed only two goals to Edmonton, giving him a 16-6-4 record with a 1.90 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage during that span.
--LW Bobby Ryan had a goal and an assist, giving him his 12th multi-point game of the season. Ryan has points in three straight games and four goals and four assists in his last nine games.
--RW Corey Perry scored twice against Edmonton, giving him a team-high 33 goals. Perry has 11 goals in his last 15 contests.
MEDICAL WATCH:
--G Dan Ellis will be out for four to six weeks after undergoing sports hernia surgery on Friday. Ellis had torn his groin muscle during a Jan. 7 practice.
GOALTENDERS:
--Jonas Hiller
--Jeff Deslauriers
DEFENSEMEN:
--Francois Beauchemin, Cam Fowler
--Luca Sbisa, Lubomir Visnovsky
--Toni Lydman, Sheldon Brookbank
FIRST LINE:
--LW Niklas Hagman, C Ryan Getzlaf, RW Corey Perry
SECOND LINE:
--LW Bobby Ryan, C Saku Koivu, RW Teemu Selanne
THIRD LINE:
--LW Andrew Cogliano, C Nick Bonino, RW Devante Smith-Pelly
FOURTH LINE:
--LW Jason Blake, C Rod Pelley, RW Matt Beleskey
