I woke up this morning with every intention of writing a piece about the Bobby Ryan trade rumors that have been surfacing lately. With Ryan being such a young, talented forward, I figured it was likely other articles such as this would already exist. I was right. Greg Wyshynski, editor and author of Puck Daddy at Yahoo! Sports, wrote The Bobby Ryan trade proposal summary; what would you offer? Excited to write my own piece, I was a tad saddened,yet undeterred.
Here's my piece....ya jerks!
When these rumors first surfaced, I was shocked. Anaheim possesses the most potent first-line in all of hockey - and they're all under 27. Why would they trade away the youngest piece of that? I was then reminded of their record, 6-14-3. It doesn't matter how fantastic your first line is if your team isn't winning. Anaheim desires more depth in their roster and Bobby Ryan will definitely bring that back in a trade. With their playoff hopes quickly fading early in the season, a roster shakeup may be what the Ducks need.
From what I've read, the Ducks are looking for a multi-player package containing at least one defenseman in return for Ryan. If this is the case, it makes sense to analyze the teams that possess such assets. I see only four, practical destinations for Bobby Ryan: Buffalo, Toronto, Nashville or Los Angeles.
Why these teams?
Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo has been steadily growing its defensive corps over the years. Tyler Myers, Andrej Sekera, Mike Weber, Marc-Andre Gragnani, T.J. Brennan and Brayden McNabb have all been developed internally and are definitely capable of playing in the NHL. This summer, Buffalo also went out and spent money on two free-agent defensemen, Robyn Regher and Christian Ehrhoff. The Sabres have little to no cap space, however. If Ryan's $5.1 million contract is to be absorbed by Buffalo, a forward with a legitimately hefty contract would have to be exchanged. Some potential suitors may be Drew Stafford, Derek Roy or Brad Boyes. Ville Leino is another possibility, NOT! That contract is going to hurt down the road if he doesn't pick it up. Buffalo would likely need to include another young forward in the deal like Nathan Gerbe, Tyler Ennis or Luke Adam. Sabre fans are notoriously harsh on their team, but rightfully so without a Stanley Cup to show for over 40 years of dedication. We all know Terry Pegula isn't afraid to make bold moves and that makes Buffalo a potential destination for Ryan.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto's situation is similar to Buffalo's. They has a very strong, young defensive group. It includes Luke Schenn, Carl Gunnarson, Cody Franson and Keith Aulie. And like Buffalo, Toronto is right up against the salary cap. A forward worth a pretty penny would have to go back to Anaheim. Likely candidates are Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemin, Clarke MacArthur and Colby Armstrong. A forward prospect would also be included in the deal such as Tyler Bozak, Matt Frattin or Joe Colborne. We all know Brian Burke has an affinity for big North American forwards. He also has history that runs deep with Anaheim, so a deal isn't unlikely.
Nashville Predators
Nashville is a unique contender because they have a lot of cap room. They are similar to Toronto and Buffalo in that they have a strong defensive unit. Ryan Suter, Shea Weber, Francis Bouillon, Calvin Kevin Klein and Jonathon Blum are a few names. Weber is in an interesting situation. Is he staying in Nashville? No one knows. Pekka Rinne was just signed to a long-term contract, but Ryan Suter is still on the fence. He could be a valuable addition to Anaheim's lineup. The Predators have a few young forwards such as Colin Wilson, Blake Geoffrion, Nick Spaling and Matt Halischuk that would make good trade-bait.
Los Angeles Kings
This is the most unlikely team of all four because they're in Anaheim's division. I'm sure the Ducks don't want to face Bobby Ryan on a regular basis. Still, if the trade makes sense for both parties, it's not out of the question. The Kings have some solid young defensemen: Jack Johnson, Slava Voynov, Alec Martinez, Matt Greene and Davis Drewiske. Depth at forward isn't a problem for Los Angeles either with players like Colin Fraser, Andrei Loktionov, Scott Parse, Brad Richardson and Kyle Clifford. The team has two goaltenders that are quite talented as well. With Jonathan Quick solidifying his spot as the starter, Jonathan Bernier may be awaiting his time with a different team. Again, this is unlikely because, well...Jonas Hiller is pretty good himself.
Out of these four teams, who do you think is most likely to acquire Bobby Ryan?
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