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The New Jersey Devils Must Call About Bobby Ryan

May 13, 2013, 10:58 AM ET [58 Comments]
Todd Cordell
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The Anaheim Ducks blew a 3-2 series lead and lost a heartbreaker in Game 7 against the Detroit Red Wings Sunday night - meaning their season is now over.

While the Ducks are fine cap wise, there was speculation all season that Ducks star forward, Bobby Ryan, could be available. He wasn't moved at the deadline but many believed at the time that he might be available in the offseason - especially if the Ducks exited the playoffs early.

They did that just that and you can bet a lot of teams will be contacting Ducks GM, Bob Murray, about Ryan, and rightfully so.

There are several reasons New Jersey needs to be one of those teams.

For starters, the Devils can't score. Scoring was like a foreign language to them this past season. Ryan is an established young goal scorer who has scored 30+ goals in all four full NHL seasons he has played in and would be an instant upgrade on the wing for the Devils. He would not only significantly improve the Devils offensive attack but he would also take a lot of pressure off Ilya Kovalchuk.

It's worth noting that the Cherry Hill, NJ, native doesn't have a no-trade clause in his contract.

Ryan is signed until the summer of 2015 at a $5.1 million cap hit so not only would he be around for a while if the Devils could get their hands on him, but he'd come at a very reasonable cap hit given his ability and production.

His points per game average was down a bit from his standards this season but he still had more even strength goals and points than every player on the Devils, so clearly he'd be a welcome addition.

Now about the cost. What would it be? I'm guessing the Devils would have to include one of Eric Gelinas / Alex Urbom / Jon Merrill as well as another forward prospect (likely Stefan Matteau or Reid Boucher), an NHL center off of their roster and potentially the 9th overall pick (depending on the prospects/center they offer).

A steep price, indeed, but you don't get young perennial 30 goal scorers without giving up a lot. You have to give to get, they say.

Whether Ryan ends up a Devil or not, Devils GM, Lou Lamoriello, must make some calls and try to get his hands on Ryan. Lamoriello has said you look at every opportunity to improve your roster. Well, an opportunity is sitting right in front of you.

Your move, Mr. Lamoriello.

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