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Report: Teemu Selanne to re-sign with Anaheim; Paul Kariya to join him?

Teemu Selanne, Lubomir Visnovsky

Anaheim Ducks right wing Teemu Selanne of Finland celebrates an assist to a goal by teammate Lubomir Visnovsky of Slovakia in the third period against the New York Islanders during an NHL hockey game, Friday, March 19, 2010, in Anaheim, Calif. Ducks won 5-4 in overtime. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

AP

If you’ve been wondering what will happen with Ducks star and Finnish legend Teemu Selanne, it appears that you can stop wondering right away and prepare for at least one more season of the Finnish Flash. TSN, via Finnish magazine Sport Report, tells us that Selanne will be coming back to the NHL for at least one more season.

“I made the decision to continue my career,” he told the magazine. “In fact, it has been clear for a long time. Negotiations are now ready to begin.”

Selanne, who is expected to play his 12th season with the Ducks, added that his level of play and the direction the Ducks were going in affected his decision. In 54 games last season, he scored 21 goals and 48 points.

“I informed (Anaheim) that if they re-build (the team), I’ll then do something else,” Selanne said. “With the guys that the team has acquired, I’m convinced that we can still succeed.”

The Ducks have been filling their lineup bit-by-bit lately signing Andy Sutton to play defense after dealing James Wisniewski to the Islanders. Meanwhile they’ve been working very slowly towards trying to get a contract worked out with restricted free agent scorer Bobby Ryan. With Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Saku Koivu already in place, the Ducks top six is almost complete with Selanne back in the fold and assuming Ryan’s return. But what about a left wing to play on a line with Koivu and Selanne? It appears that Selanne is hard at work trying to recruit someone both he and Ducks fans might remember pretty well.

Selanne also told the Journal that he’s made a pitch to the Ducks and former teammate Paul Kariya for a reunion in Anaheim.

“I’ve talked to Paul and the Ducks,” said Selanne. “Paul has been waiting for my decision and I hope things move forward,” he said.

If it turns out that Selanne was the catalyst needed to get Kariya interested in rejoining Anaheim, that would give the Ducks two lines of players that would look like something out of a movie (not that movie) with a top line of young guns featuring Getzlaf, Perry and Ryan and a second line of old-school scorers with Koivu, Selanne and Kariya. All of a sudden, what was starting to look like a tenuous rebuilding year for Anaheim would look pretty decent on paper rolling with a top six like that. While the Ducks’ depth wouldn’t be too much to write home about at the moment, what they’d have initially would look pretty fun and reek of lots of old-time Disney-fashioned nostalgia.