The Anaheim Ducks are not wasting anytime building their team for next season. On Wednesday they made sure that veteran center Saku Koivu would be in the mix once the puck drops on the 2012-13 season.

Koivu and the Ducks agreed to a one-year deal worth $3 million to bring back the 37-year-old for his 17th NHL season.

Although Koivu only contributed 38 points in 74 games, his veteran leadership and face-off prowess were irreplaceable. It also doesn't hurt that he played on a line with fellow Finn and good friend Teemu Selanne, whom the Ducks would love to have back in uniform next season as well.

It's unknown if having Kovu back in the mix helps the Ducks chances of coaxing the future Hall-of-Fame winger back, but why risk it?

Kovu himself seems pretty excited about the future of the Ducks.

''Winning is my No. 1 priority, and talking with Bob (Murray), I'm confident that they're going to make a push. When you have a core group of young players as we do, the future looks bright. If I didn't feel confident and strongly about their view and their willingness to make the push, then I would have looked for somewhere else, but it was very clear they want to get a team to make the playoffs and make a push at the springtime.

At the conclusion of the season it seemed like an almost forgone conclusion that Koivu would be back. The fact that happened so quickly is a testament to both the Ducks management and Koivu himself. It leaves one less distraction to worry about during the lengthy summer break.

OK, Mr. Murray...who's next?

UPDATE: Look slike we didn't have to wait long for more news. The Ducks announced that Bruce Boudreau signed a two-year contract extension through the 2-14-15 season.

The Ducks went 27-23-8 under Boudreau who replaced the fired Randy Carlyle. Anaheim had one of the best records in the NHL after the All-Star break.

This is an other great move by the Ducks. Again it solidifies their position as a team that is not satisfied with the status quo. This also gives fans a little extra piece of mind knowing that Boudreau is indeed the right man for the job.

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