Ryan, Wisniewski, Mikkelson receive qualifying offers.

Soon-to-be restricted free agents Bobby Ryan, James Wisniewski and Brendan Mikkelson have received qualifying offers from the Ducks, while minor-league forwards Shawn Weller and Bobby Bolt have not. Neither has goaltender Jean-Phillippe Levasseur, with whom the Ducks are negotiating a long-term contract.

The deadline to for teams to extend qualifying offers is 2 p.m. (Pacific) today.

Ryan is almost certain to command an offer sheet July 1 if he has not already re-signed with the Ducks. General manager Bob Murray has attempted to re-sign Ryan with a five-year contract offer in the $20-25 million range, but the sides have yet to reach an agreement despite the fact that talks began early last season. The 23-year-old forward scored a career-high 35 goals in 2009-10, his second full NHL season.

In a season shortened to 69 games by injuries and suspensions, Wisniewski finished with three goals and 30 points. The hard-hitting defenseman nearly went to arbitration with the Ducks last year before signing a 1-year contract worth $2.75 million.

Mikkelson, who turned 23 last week, has split the last two seasons between the NHL and AHL, collecting four assists in 62 games with the Ducks.

If a qualified player receives an offer sheet from another team, the current team then has the right to match the offer sheet or will receive a combination of draft picks in return (see below, courtesy of TSN):

Below $863,156 No Compensation
$863,156-$1,307,812 Third-round pick
$1,307,812-$2,615,625 Second-round pick
$2,615,625-$3,923,437 First- and third-round picks
$3,923,437-$5,231,249 First-, second and third-round picks
$5,231,249-$6,539,062 Two first-rounders, a second-round
pick and a third-round pick.
$6,539,062 or more Four first-round picks

Ducks, Pens make a deal.

The Ducks have sent goaltender Mattias Modig, a 2007 fourth-round draft pick, to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the upcoming entry draft. The Penguins had originally acquired the pick from the Montreal Canadiens, so this will be the 27th pick of the sixth round and the 177th pick overall.

Modig, 23, has spent his entire career with Lulea of the Swedish Elite League. In 34 games, he posted a 2.49 goals-against average and .899 save percentage for Lulea in 2009-10. Modig has already signed a two-year entry-level contract with Pittsburgh.

The Ducks have several goaltenders already in the system, which likely made Modig expendable. Marco Cousineau and Timo Pielmeier are already signed, and soon-to-be free agents Jean-Phillippe Levasseur and Joey MacDonald could be brought back. Russian prospect Igor Bobkov was a fairly high draft pick (third round, 76th overall) in last year’s draft.

Bakersfield eliminated from ECHL playoffs.

The Bakersfield Condors, the Ducks’ ECHL affiliate, saw its season come to an end Saturday with a 7-4 loss to Stockton in Game 5 of their Kelly Cup playoff series.

Timo Pielmeier allowed six goals on 33 shots in the loss and finished the playoffs with a 1-2-1 record, 3.39 goals-against average and .892 save percentage in four games. Jean-Phillippe Levasseur went 3-2-1, 2.61 GAA and .914 save percentage.

Kyle Calder, who had two assists Saturday, led the Condors with five goals and 10 points in 10 playoff games. MacGregor Sharp had a goal Saturday to bring his totals to three goals and eight points in 10 games. Ducks prospects Maxime Macenauer, Stu Bickel and Eric Regan also suited up for the Condors in the playoffs (team stats here).

Sexton, Clark, Salcido shut out in Hamilton.

Consider this a belated, Ducks-related, American Hockey League playoff update.

Since the Ducks do not have an AHL affiliate this year, tracking their prospects’ postseason progress is a more haphazard endeavor than usual. Three (Dan Sexton, Brian Salcido and Mat Clark) are with the Manitoba Moose, who tonight lost Game 1 of their seven-game series against the Hamilton Bulldogs. Needless to say, each was held scoreless.

On Wednesday, defenseman Nathan Oystrick had two assists in the Chicago Wolves’ 6-5 win over the Milwaukee Admirals in Game 1 of their series. Shawn Weller, playing for the Abbotsford Heat, contributed the second of three goals in a 3-2 win over the Rochester Americans. Heat defenseman Mark Mitera was held scoreless.

The Ducks’ ECHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, begin play in the second round of the Kelly Cup playoffs tomorrow against the Stockton Thunder. Kyle Calder, MacGregor Sharp, Ryan Donally, Maxime Macenauer, Matt McCue, Eric Regan, Stu Bickel, Timo Pielmeier and J-P Levasseur are all competing in the series for Bakersfield.

MacDonald up, Levasseur down.

Joey MacDonald has been recalled from the AHL and Jean-Phillippe Levasseur has been sent back. The goalie swap occurs in the midst of three consecutive wins by erstwhile backup Curtis McElhinney, who has played every minute since Jonas Hiller came down with back spasms prior to Monday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche.

MacDonald was 14-19-7 with a 3.18 goals-against average and an .893 save percentage in 36 games with the Toronto Marlies this season. He also appeared in six games for the Toronto Maple Leafs (1-4-0, 3.20, .892), who received a seventh-round draft pick in 2011 from the Ducks in exchange for the 30-year-old goalie.

Levasseur returns to the San Antonio Rampage after not making an appearance as McElhinney’s backup the last two games.

Hiller, Getzlaf out; Levasseur in.

With Jonas Hiller staying in Anaheim because of back spasms that felled him in warmups Monday, the Ducks have recalled goaltender J.P. Levasseur from the Springfield (Mass.) Falcons of the American Hockey League.

Hiller has not been placed on injured reserve, but neither he nor center Ryan Getzlaf made the trip to Denver for Wednesday’s game against the Avalanche. Getzlaf has not played in the since re-injuring his left ankle in Vancouver last Wednesday.

The 23-year-old Levasseur went 8-16-1 with a 3.59 goals-against average and .896 save percentage for the Falcons. He recorded a 49-save shutout over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Feb. 14, but has mostly suffered during a last-place season in Springfield.

The 6-0, 199-pound netminder also appeared in five contests with Bakersfield of the ECHL (2-3-0, 3.63 GAA, .903 save pct.) and 16 games with Laredo of the Central Hockey League (10-3-3, 2.31 GAA, .919 save pct. this season.

Ducks acquire Aaron Ward.

Landing the depth defenseman they wanted, the Ducks have traded goaltender Justin Pogge and a future fourth-round draft pick to the Carolina Hurricanes for defenseman Aaron Ward.

Ward told reporters in Raleigh this morning that he will not be in Anaheim for tonight’s game against the Colorado Avalanche, but told Randy Carlyle he will practice with his new team Thursday.

In an interview with TSN this morning, Ward, who has been anxiously awaiting a trade, said he “was surprsied it’s Anaheim.”

“I’m happy from the fact I feel it’s a new lease on life,” he said. “October, November, I thought I had the poorest runs of hockey in my career and wasn’t very happy with it. I think I’ve played well the last few months.”

Ward, who turned 37 in January, has a goal and 11 points in 60 games this season for the Hurricanes. His minus-17 rating was second-lowest on the team.

In 822 career NHL games, Ward has recorded 44 goals and 149 points with 728 penalty minutes. A three-time Stanley Cup champion with Detroit (1997, 98) and Carolina (2006), the 6-2, 209-pound defenseman has added four goals and 10 points in 95 career playoff games.

“Aaron Ward brings valuable experience and is a proven winner with
three Stanley Cup championships,” Ducks GM Bob Murray said in a
statement. “We are pleased to bring him on board.”

Pogge was acquired in the off-season from the Toronto Maple Leafs to serve as the team’s third goaltender. The 23-year-old split the season between ECHL Bakersfield and AHL San Antonio, where he carried a 2.57 goals-against average and .923 save percentage in 23 games.

The Ducks have three young goalies already under contract. Timo Pielmeier and Jean-Phillippe Levasseur are currently in Bakersfield, and Marco Cousineau is finishing up his final season in the QMJHL.

Ward gives the Ducks seven NHL defensemen under contract. They have been playing with six since Nick Boynton was assigned to the AHL on Feb. 2.

Another goalie prospect is goalie of the month.

This time it’s Timo Pielmeier, who crowded Jean-Phillippe Levasseur out of a job in Bakersfield, picking up the ECHL’s goaltender of the month award. Levasseur was named goalie of the month in the Central Hockey League yesterday.

Pielmeier, 20, went 6-1-0 during the month, boasting a 2.07 goals-against average and a.925 save percentage in eight appearances. The German-born netminder ranks ninth in the ECHL with a 2.78 GAA and is third in the league with eight wins, one shy of the ECHL lead. Pielmeier has more appearances than any other rookie goalie, and is sixth in the league with 713 minutes played.