Agent: Rakell working toward game shape, new contract with Ducks

Rickard Rakell is working toward getting back on the ice with the Anaheim Ducks.

It's a two-pronged process - the restricted free agent is looking for a new contract, while also recovering from surgery to remove scar tissue, relating to an appendectomy back in the spring.

Rakell, who missed the World Cup due to the procedure, is ramping up efforts on both fronts, according to Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register.

Rakell has yet to resume his training after being unable to play for his homeland in the World Cup of Hockey. But it is believed that while the Ducks would prefer to stay lower than Rakell’s six-year, $24-million asking price, they’ve made more headway with the center’s agent, Peter Wallen.

In an e-mail to the Register, Wallen confirmed as much while saying Rakell has slowly started to work out again and will need "a couple of weeks" to get back in top shape. "Back negotiating," Wallen said. "More frequently now."

Rakell recorded 20 goals and 23 assists in 72 games for the Ducks last season, in which the 2011 first-round pick asserted himself as a key member of the team.