Just more than three weeks away from the Sept. 20 opening of training camp, the Anaheim Ducks still had two very large unresolved issues.

The club was more than $2 million above the NHL's $56.7 million salary cap, necessitating the subtraction of at least one player, while the status of unrestricted free-agent right wing Teemu Selanne remained up in the air.

The most logical choice to go was veteran defenseman Mathieu Schneider, who carries a $5.625 million cap hit and appears to be a luxury the Ducks simply cannot afford, what with a combined $13 million going to blue-line standouts Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger. Anaheim signed Schneider to a two-year contract in the summer of 2007, when it appeared Niedermayer was destined for retirement.

Even with the ...More