As the hockey-watching world concentrates on the final two rounds of the NHL play-offs, the people of Orange County are again on retirement watch as questions about Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne’s future again rear their ugly head.

For the third season running, the Ducks go into the summer trading and draft season not knowing if two of their prized veterans are going to be around at the Honda Center again next season, and it’s becoming more and more of a worry as the years tick on and the veterans get older.

Niedermayer is coming off a great season, adding 10 play-off points to a 59-point regular campaign and as usual showing the grit and heart that should be expected of a captain.

Likewise Selanne showed few signs of slowing down, apart from one spell out injured, although his chemistry with the Ducks rookies wasn’t quite as strong in the post-season and his best performance came in the sickening game seven defeat by Detroit, when he intriguingly had less ice-time than grinders like Drew Miller and Todd Marchant.

Selanne has already inferred that his decision is linked to whatever Niedermayer decides to do, but is the time right for the Ducks to sever ties early and move on?

No doubt, Niedermayer would be a huge loss, but Ryan Whitney’s arrival at the trade deadline gives the Ducks a player who could easily fit in to the No 1 pairing with Chris Pronger, and there would be a chance to re-sign Francois Beauchemin as well and return him to a bigger role.

Up front, after the top line, things do not look so solid and Selanne’s departure could make that worse…but would you place a hockey bet on it?

The extra salary available for free agents could fill up the rest of a new second line, assuming Andrew Ebbett continues to progress, and hopefully not mean the loss of prized prospect Eric Tangradi to Pittsburgh in the Whitney deal was not one the Ducks come to regret.