Bergeron isn’t just an extra anymore

So much for Marc-Andre Bergeron being a spare part.

Bergeron was acquired by the Ducks from the New York Islanders at the Feb. 27 trade deadline to largely serve as insurance down the stretch and in the playoffs.

Who would have known that the Ducks would already have to cash in their policy?

Because of Chris Pronger’s eight-game suspension that began Saturday against St. Louis, Bergeron figures to have an important role in the rest of the regular season as the Ducks try to secure home ice in the first round and overtake San Jose for the Pacific Division title.

“It’s exactly why they brought me in,” the defenseman said Monday. “They’ve got a lot of experience and they know what it’s all about. I was the lucky one that got brought here. Now I even have a chance to play. I’m just excited.”

Bergeron has played two games in Pronger’s place when the Ducks captain suffered a broken jaw Feb. 24. Now with Pronger out after stepping on the leg of Vancouver’s Ryan Kesler, the 27-year-old has a chance to make an impact.

In the Ducks’ 5-2 win over the Blues, Bergeron played nearly 19 minutes and had a shot on goal and two blocked shots.

“It’s a real challenge for me to be allowed to just have the chance to show what I can do and help this team,” Bergeron said. “There’s a lot of quality players on this team. I’m fortunate to be part of that.”

The Ducks got him from the Islanders for a third-round pick in this year’s draft.

It was the most notable move at another low-key trade deadline for General Manager Brian Burke.

Burke’s only deadline moves last season were dealing defenseman Shane O’Brien to Tampa Bay for goaltending prospect Gerald Coleman and a first-round pick and picking up winger Brad May from Colorado for goalie Michael Wall.

Even though the Ducks committed to their all-star defense by sending Andy McDonald to St. Louis in a cap-related move that allowed them to bring back Scott Niedermayer, Burke and Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle still saw the need to beef up their depth on the blue line.

“The experience that we have from the previous two seasons was that we believed we had to have at least nine defensemen at your disposal to go along in the playoffs,” Carlyle said.

Bergeron was available because he had fallen out of favor with Islanders Coach Ted Nolan. Though he was often a healthy scratch, the fourth-year player had nine goals and nine assists in 45 games.

The Ducks know Bergeron well, having faced the Quebec native when he and Pronger were linemates for Edmonton, which eliminated them in the 2006 Western Conference finals before losing the Stanley Cup to Carolina.

“Obviously it was a tough year in New York,” he said. “But I’ve been part of good teams and I’ve had big roles before. . . . I was glad to be traded and be back in a good hockey mode heading into the playoffs with a team that has a chance.”

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Teemu Selanne’s goal against St. Louis was the 548th of his career, tying him with Hall of Famer forward Michel Goulet for 24th place all-time.

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