Scott Niedermayer Decision to Come Friday

After deciding in December that he wants to come back and play, Anaheim Ducks general manager Brian Burke made it clear to veteran Scott Niedermayer that he will not allow this kind of scenario to happen again.

After the Ducks won the Stanley Cup in 2007, Burke was left in the dark as Niedermayer along with star forward Temmu Selanne announced their decision to retire before changing their minds. With Niedermayer, he was torn in what to do and eventually returned in December, which forced Burke to deal forward Andy McDonald to create the necessary cap space. “Last year was difficult, but I think last year was a different circumstance,” said his agent Kevin Epp. “You come off such a high winning a Stanley Cup, playing with your brother (Rob), you think you have reached everything you’ve reached and you think you just need that break and you need some time.” “So last year was an easy decision in the sense he needed to be away and then being away he realized how much he missed playing and being around his teammates and playing in Anaheim.”

In April, when the Dallas Stars eliminated the Ducks; Burke once again stressed to the four- time Stanley Cup winner that he doesn’t want to wait all summer for a decision about next year and gave him a deadline for a decision. According to reports, Niedermayer will make his decision by Friday when the NHL meets in Ottawa for the Entry Draft. Epp admitted that his client, who won the 2004 Norris Trophy (best defenseman) is still undecided but wants to make a decision one way or the other by the draft so that the Ducks can map out its off season plans for the free agent period which opens on July 1. The Ducks obviously hope that he comes back and finish out the one- year left on his contract. “We need him back, but you have to respect that, if he doesn’t feel he wants to play again,” said Ducks Vice President Bob Murray. “He’ll do what he has to do.” In 48 games this past season, Niedermayer registered 25 points and was a minus 2.

 

 

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