50 Player Contract Limit: How close are the Ducks?

Saw some articles about Edmonton being unable to make many changes in personnel at the moment because they have 49 players signed and I wondered how close Anaheim was. So let's do a headcount:

1. Bryzgalov
2. Giguere
3. Hiller
4. Coleman
5. Levasseur
6. Goepfert

7. S. Niedermayer
8. Pronger
9. Beauchemin
10. Schneider
11. O'Donnell
12. Huskins
13. Kondratiev
14. Hnidy
15. DiPenta
16. Mikkelson
17. Salcido
18. Festerling
19. Rome
20. Wilson
21. Saunders
22. Skinner

23. McDonald
24. Kunitz
25. Getzlaf
26. Perry
27. Pahlsson
28. Moen
29. R. Niedermayer
30. Marchant
31. May
32. Parros
33. Lacouture
34. Ryan
35. Miller
36. Carter
37. Bertuzzi
38. Dingle
39. Wirtanen
40. Ebbett
41. Dixon
42. Hynes
43. Keith
44. Segal
45. Peters
46. Hoffman
47. King
48. Callahan
49. Bolt

What does this mean? Well, until someone heads off yonder, I would hesitate to expect Selanne to be skating for the Ducks this season. Also it means guys like Auffrey (still Ducks property for another year) and Christie (if they choose to keep him around), will have to sign AHL deals and wait until the offseason to sign NHL deals. The same goes for a prospect like Swan, who at the age of 20, would be counted under the 50 contract limit. We're also unlikely to see the Ducks deal purely picks for players (such as the Edmonton picks to try to fill out the top six), which either may result in the Ducks placing prospects on the negotiating table or being handcuffed on what sort of moves they can make.

The list comes from NHLSCAP.com. Next offseason, Hoffman, Peters, Lacouture, Callahan, Skinner and potentially Kondratiev and Keith (depending on NHL games played, Kondratiev needs 37 or more to be an RFA, Keith needs 36 or more) all come off the books as UFAs.

Matt Christie signed to AHL deal over the summer, Swan will most likely head back to juniors.

Other players who have signed AHL deals with Anaheim are Simon Ferguson and Eric Weinrich.

we need to make room for Andy Schneider...

we need to make room for Andy Schneider...
I think the Ducks could bring him in under an AHL contract for this season with the prospect of signing him to an NHL deal next year should he perform....He has a contract now with the Texas Wildcatters of the ECHL.

I think the Ducks could bring him in under an AHL contract for this season with the prospect of signing him to an NHL deal next year should he perform....He has a contract now with the Texas Wildcatters of the ECHL.

I'm sure we'll both cover this when our respective Portland season previews come around, but it should be an interesting camp for the Pirates with so many guys in the mix.

King still strikes me as unnecessary.

King still strikes me as unnecessary.

He won't be when injuries strike. One thing that killed me last season is how many times we'd call up a player who was getting his first taste of NHL hockey. I'm glad we have LaCouture and King for those occasions.

Ducks send Swan back to Halifax.

Bryce Swan will return to the Halifax Mooseheads this season, a source told The Daily News on Monday.

Link>>> (http://www.hfxnews.ca/index.cfm?sid=61174&sc=394)