Ducks Acquire Ex-King Kurri

Wayne Gretzky and Bernie Nicholls wanted contract offers from the Mighty Ducks and couldn’t get them. But the Ducks finally made their first bold move of the summer Wednesday, agreeing to a one-year deal with another former King, Jari Kurri, that will pay him $1.5 million next season and includes a club option for the 1997-98 season.

Kurri will be the first sure-fire Hall of Famer to wear a Duck jersey, although he is coming off the least productive season of his career at 36. Nevertheless, he could still be the third-best player on a Duck team that has two young stars in Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne but drops off sharply after that.

The acquisition marks the first notable free-agent signing in the Ducks’ short history. They had no interest in Gretzky, partly because of the size of his contract, and recently backed away from pursuing Nicholls, 35, saying he also was too expensive to be so near the end of his career. Nicholls, who scored 19 goals and 60 points in 59 games for Chicago last season, eventually signed a two-year contract with San Jose that averages $2.2 million a year.

Anaheim General Manager Jack Ferreira said the prospect of signing Kurri “is why I didn’t make a move on Nicholls.”

Dallas had offered Kurri $1.5 million and the Rangers offered $1 million but withdrew the offer after signing Wayne Gretzky. Vancouver also showed interest.

Kurri was traded from the Kings to the New York Rangers in March with Marty McSorley and Shane Churla for four players and a draft pick, largely because he was eligible to become a free agent this summer. After scoring 17 goals and 40 points for the Kings, he finished the season with 45 points in 71 games.

“The thing about him is his leadership,” Ferreira said. “He’s a great leader and he’s won so many Stanley Cups [five]. He’s one

of the best defensive players in the game, one of the best penalty-killers and one of the best two-way players ever to play the game.”

A seven-time NHL All-Star, Kurri had six 100-point seasons with the Edmonton Oilers, including a 71-goal season in 1984-85. His 105 playoff goals rank third to only Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier, and he ranks fourth in playoff assists and third in playoff points.

“His offensive skills have diminished over time, but he’s always been one of the best defensive players in the NHL,” Duck Coach Ron Wilson said. “For a while there, everybody considered him the best two-way player in the world.

“He gives us lots of options on special teams. Having a player that versatile, he can play any forward position as well as the point on the power play. It allows me the opportunity to play Paul and Teemu on different lines, or all three together.”

Ferreira said that despite Kurri’s age, he “certainly hasn’t lost his legs,” though his scoring production has slipped.

“You can debate that because he didn’t have great numbers last season, but every time we played against him he was one of the best players on the ice,” Ferreira said.

Kurri, who is in Europe training with the Finnish national team in preparation for the World Cup this month and could not be reached, will formally sign the contract when he returns to North America. His agent, Don Baizley, said returning to Southern California was part of the appeal of joining the Ducks.

Ferreira reached Kurri to discuss the deal as Kurri was preparing for an exhibition game--a 3-1 victory over Sweden--with the Finnish team, which includes Selanne, an ebullient sort who quickly announced the deal to everyone in earshot.

“Jari Kurri was Teemu’s favorite player when he was younger,” Wilson said. “This gives him the opportunity to play with him, and not just on a national team. He’s someone with that kind of experience winning Stanley Cups.”

Duck Notes

Coach Ron Wilson said Kariya’s stomach injury is responding to rest. “From my understanding, it’s starting to feel a lot better after just a week,” Wilson said. Kariya recently withdrew from Canada’s World Cup team because of the muscle injury, a condition whose technical name is osteitis pubis and is more common to soccer players. . . . The acquisition of Kurri makes it more unlikely the Ducks will offer a contract to center Anatoli Semenov, assistant general manager David McNab said. . . . The Ducks believe they are close to reaching an agreement with first-round draft pick Ruslan Salei, a defenseman who played for Las Vegas in the International League last season. . . . The Ducks have added four road games to their exhibition schedule. They will play the New York Rangers Sept. 21 at Las Vegas and the Pittsburgh Penguins Sept. 23 at Portland, Ore., before traveling to Edmonton on Sept. 28 and Vancouver on Sept. 30. The previously announced schedule of four home games begins against the Kings Sept. 15.

Times staff writer Helene Elliott contributed to this story.

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The Jari Kurri File

* Age: 36.

* Born: Helsinki. May 18, 1960.

* Position: Right wing.

* NHL career: Won five Stanley Cups with Edmonton, one more than Wayne Gretzky. Has scored more NHL points than any other European player. Ranks 12th overall with 1,341 points. Ranks seventh in goals with 583. Ranks third to Gretzky and Mark Messier in playoff goals with 105 and is fourth in playoff assists (125) and third in playoff points (230).