Another dispatch from the road, where word travels fast that 40-year-old right wing Teemu Selanne is returning to the Ducks for another season. Selanne, who is still in his native Finland, agreed to a 1-year, $3.25 million contract.

Selanne spoke to the media via conference call earlier today (transcript can be found here), as did general manager Bob Murray (comments here).

Selanne gets a slight raise on last year’s contract, but it’s still below market rate for a player who scored 27 goals in a mere 54 games last season. He doesn’t immediately make the Ducks a playoff contender — how well a rebuilt, Scott Niedermayer-less defense can perform is the critical question now — but Selanne does ensure that the league’s fifth-best power play won’t take a huge step backward next season.