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Selanne to ‘take some nights off’ this season

Selanne

It took him 43 years, but Teemu Selanne has finally accepted some limitations.

The Ducks winger told NHL.com he’s come to grips with taking games off for maintenance and to stay fresh -- something he hasn’t been comfortable with in seasons past.

“Last year it was something new to me and I didn’t really want to sit out for the game,” Selanne explained. “But I realized after that it’s going to be really good for me.

“Down the road, I think [he and head coach Bruce Boudreau] can both sit down and see when the schedule is really hectic, I can take some nights off.”

After a red-hot start to the shortened 2013 campaign, Selanne slowed down the stretch and saw a decrease in playing time. He received less than 13 minutes in four different games in late March/early April and averaged just 14 in the playoffs, a full minute less than Daniel Winnik received.

Selanne’s shift in opinion also has to do with Olympic participation. He’s hoping to represent Finland in Sochi next year and knows that, once he returns from the games, he’ll need to focus on rest.

“It’s going to be better for me,” he explained. “There are going to be nights when I’m going to say or he [Boudreau] is going to say, ‘It would be best for us.’

“We’ve got to be smart.”