A couple of weeks ago, in the midst of the Ryan Nash // Ottawa rumors, I penned a blog post about why another name -- specifically Bobby Ryan of the Anaheim Ducks -- was a far better fit for the Ottawa Senators organization.
Young. Incredibly gifted. Top-six forward with thirty-plus goal potential -- he's shown as much in four consecutive seasons now. In fact, the only hurdle -- albeit an incredibly gigantic hrdle -- comes in the form of the trade market, where almost every other organization would line up and make a pitch for a franchise cornerstone type that doesn't have an unfriendly cap hit.
With Bobby Ryan, you're getting the tough, two-way minutes without sacrificing much offensively. In fact, Ryan's been one of Anaheim's best goal-scoring weapons for years now. In short: He's a Paul MacLean type player.
But, therein lies the problem. You could almost certainly substittue Paul MacLean's name with a dozen of other head coaches around the league, and the sentence would still hold true. Add in the fact that his contract could fit on most rosters, so long as the team isn't incredibly pressed against the cap, and you have the potential for a serious bidding war.
Ryan's been pretty public about his desires to be moved out of the Anaheim Ducks system, almost certainly to do with the neverending trade speculation starting from last season's deadline. For whatever reason, Anaheim has never considered Bobby Ryan an untouchable player, but in fairness to the organization, Ryan's value as a trade piece is enormous right now. Ryan may not like it, but he could fetch a serious, serious haul for the team heading forward.
With Rick Nash unwilling -- at least as of right now -- to modify his list of teams he'll accept a trade to, Ottawa's attention -- at least per the Ottawa Sun -- could turn to Bobby Ryan. And that's expected. He wouldn't thwart a rebuild at all; in fact, he'd become one of the two or three big pieces of it, jumping well past newly-acquired center Kyle Turris.
It's expected that Anaheim will hold onto Ryan unless the deal is unbelievably sweet, so the focal point of the deal will start with at least one of Ottawa's premier prospects(Stone? Silfverberg?) and a first-round pick. From there, depending on the names and value, you could see two or three additional pieces on top.
If you're Ottawa, do you even entertain a move this costly? Is Ryan worth it? If so, what's your offer?
Back with more on Sunday, when I'm unfortunately back to reality and off this beautiful cruise ship.
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Thanks for reading!
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