Wilson’s Contract Still in Limbo

Does Ron Wilson’s future as coach hinge on whether the Mighty Ducks make the playoffs?

Or does he simply work for an organization that can’t produce a contract agreement nine months after the latest extension was promised?

“Until it’s done, I’m not commenting,” said General Manager Jack Ferreira, who is in negotiations with Wilson’s agent.

“Status quo,” Wilson said. “I’m not concerned. I worry about the team and doing my job.”

It was the same much of last season, when Wilson was promised an extension over the summer and again in October before finally receiving the papers and signing a $350,000 one-year deal in January.

That leaves him once again in the final year of his contract in a field with so little job security that he is tied for second in longevity among NHL coaches even though he’s only in his fourth season.

“I think it’s important to have an agreement,” said Anaheim Sports Enterprises President Tony Tavares. “But whoever said somebody being in the last year of their contract is unhealthy? I’ve operated many times in the last year of my contract. My debate is why can’t someone be in the last year of their contract? It happens with players all the time.

“Look at the hypocrisy [with coaches] in the past, where a guy signs a contract and two weeks after signing it, he’s let go. That’s a huge hypocrisy--and don’t read anything more into that than what I said.

“It’s all about performance. Ron is a pretty strong person, confident in his ability. I don’t think he’s losing sleep over this. If you do a good job, you don’t have to worry. That’s not arrogance. That’s confidence. There’s a difference.”

Wilson has to be offered at least a one-year extension based on a provision in his last contract--meaning a deal might essentially be in force. It’s the details of length of contract and salary that have never been agreed upon, and one concept would add extra years if the team reaches the playoffs.

Wilson was more obviously miffed earlier in the season, but has taken a different approach for some time: Concentrate on handling the team, and it will work out. And assume that the promised extension will come, since the club has stood by its word before.

The twist could come if the Ducks make the playoffs before re-signing Wilson, and he becomes a hot commodity--and essentially an unrestricted free agent.

“You end up just like you do with a player in the last year of his deal,” Tavares said. “If he has a spectacular season, the leverage swings in his direction. If he has a less spectacular season, it’s the other way.”

Contract negotiations that move at a glacial pace are nothing new in the organization. Ferreira’s three-year extension was signed last summer--a year and a half after the topic was broached. Wilson’s previous extension took nine months.

With that record, who’s to say the crucial negotiations with Paul Kariya when he becomes a restricted free agent this summer won’t drag into training camp? There’s no chance the Ducks will lose him--they have the right to match any offer and assuredly will--but allowing a holdout situation to arise could be the precursor of yet another bad start.

“Look at the history of the organization,” Tavares said. “Do we or don’t we get things done? It’s inappropriate to read more into this. It’s just the way we operate.”

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Coaching Salaries

Eleven NHL coaches make more in annual salary than the Mighty Ducks’ Ron Wilson. Here’s a look at how the coaches rank in pay.

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COACH TEAM SALARY Jacques Lemaire New Jersey $750,000 Marc Crawford Colorado $700,000 Mike Milbury N.Y. Islanders $700,000 Scotty Bowman Detroit $650,000 Larry Robinson Kings $550,000 Terry Crisp Tampa Bay $500,000 Colin Campbell N.Y. Rangers $475,000 Doug MacLean Florida $425,000 Jim Schoenfeld Washington $400,000 Joel Quenneville St. Louis $375,000 Eddie Johnston Pittsburgh $375,000 Ron Wilson Mighty Ducks $350,000 Terry Murray Philadelphia $335,000 Ted Nolan Buffalo $300,000 Craig Hartsburg Chicago $300,000 Don Hay Phoenix $300,000 Mike Murphy Toronto $278,000 Ken Hitchcock Dallas $275,000 Steve Kasper Boston $260,000 Pierre Page Calgary $260,000 Ron Low Edmonton $260,000 Mario Tremblay Montreal $260,000 Paul Maurice Hartford $250,000 Al Sims San Jose $250,000 Jacques Martin Ottawa $241,000 Tom Renney Vancouver $223,000

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All figures in U.S. dollars

Source: The Hockey News