Morning Mashup: Bobby Ryan rumors in high gear

by Ryan Fancey on December 1, 2011 in Leafs News - 819 Comments

Unless you’ve been locked in a closet for the past few days, chances are you’ve managed to come across some Bobby Ryan trade talk in one way or another.

Well, what started as a quick hit rumor (or at least that’s what we thought) from Nick Kypreos has blossomed into full on hockey news. TSN made multiple mentions of the Ryan trade scenario on its national broadcast of the Leafs-Bruins game on Wednesday night, and Twitter has been abuzz for a couple days now. It simply won’t slow down.

Of course, what would a trade rumor be without mention of the Maple Leafs? Ryan has been mentioned among Leafs fans in the past, but now it seems they may have a legitimate reason to speculate.

From John Boruk at Comcast Sportsnet:

Trade rumors began surfacing Wednesday morning after Cherry Hill’s Bobby Ryan told the Orange County Register, “I would not be surprised (if I’m traded)… and I’ll leave it at that.”

I was tipped off to a potential Ryan trade a week ago, but now a decision to deal the Ducks’ high-scoring left winger, according to a source close to the situation, appears to be imminent. Anaheim GM Bob Murray has contacted a number of NHL general managers to gauge interest and talks were initiated a few weeks ago.

Boruk, who covers the Flyers, goes on to explain that while he believes Philadelphia are out of the running, the Leafs are expected to have interest, with the Rangers being the frontrunner. Larry Brooks also reported yesterday that the Rangers have had preliminary talks with Murray regarding Ryan.

Sound familiar? It seems the Leafs and Rangers are set to lock up for a battle over another big name forward, with the Rangers taking round one earlier this year by landing Brad Richards during the free agency period.

The price that Anaheim would set for Ryan would likely be enormous. Or at least that’s what I believed at first.

Boruk went on to mention this on Twitter:

Don’t assume the NYR or any team would have to unload the farm for Bobby Ryan. The team willing to part with 1st round picks could get him.

Shades of the Kessel trade (which seems to be working out fine). Burke has shown that he is willing to part with picks. Note the plural there.

If, in fact, Burke does try to execute a trade for Ryan, you can bet that picks and prospects are on the move. Whether the current roster is affected is totally up in the air, since the Ducks are said to be steering away from adding salary – they’re likely on a quest to become younger overall. I’m not sure how dealing a 24 year old thirty goal scorer (3x) is really the right move here, but I couldn’t care less as long as the Leafs are in on acquiring this guy.

The price would still be steep, as it seems the Ducks have been taking their time with this decision in order to drive up the price a little. But 24-year-old power forwards with 34- and 35-goal seasons to their name don’t come along too often. The Leafs find themselves with some depth and a decent prospect pool, but could definitely use this brand of player. The question will be, as an improved team with an already bright future, do the Leafs get involved here?

Note: The Ducks have brought in Bruce Boudreau to be their new head coach after firing Carlyle late Wednesday night. Does this put the stop on a Bobby Ryan deal? For a team with basically no depth and a nightmarish blueline, they still need to make roster adjustments. So, short answer: he’s likely still available. Team’s don’t usually tell the player he may be traded unless they’re quite serious about it.

On to some Leafs links.

There’s the Leafs we know, and…well…know (Pension Plan Puppets)

Bruins continue record romp at Leafs’ expense (G&M)

Kadri eager for another chance with Leafs (The Star)

Searching for Bobby Ryan (PuckinEh)

NHLNumbers Podcast Episode III (TheLeafsNation)

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