It’s no secret that big, talented power forwards are beloved in Boston. Milan Lucic is already well-liked among Bruins fans even if he might not ever live up to Cam Neely’s lofty legacy. While he acknowledges that it’s just a rumor, CSNNE.com’s Joe Haggerty believes that a David Krejci + low first-round pick package could very well nab Anaheim Ducks power forward Bobby Ryan.
Haggerty also argues that the deal could very well be worth it for Boston.
But a trade with the Anaheim Ducks for a 6-foot-2, 218-pound right wing that’s put up 136 goals and 259 points in 334 career games is the one deal that conservative GM Peter Chiarelli might not be able to say “no thanks” to. If the trade does indeed include Krejci and a first rounder expected to be in the 25-30 range to an Anaheim club looking to shore up their center depth between Ryan Getzlaf and Saku Koivu, then the pieces appear to be in place for both sides.
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One former teammate of Ryan’s said he was “a good kid” during his early years in Anaheim as a 20-year-old rookie, and his personality wouldn’t be a problem within the Bruins dressing room.
Instead it seems to be more about salary and cap hit with the Ducks looking to create a more balanced front line with depth and strength down the middle of the ice.
Meanwhile the Bruins covet size, strength and skill on the wing, and Ryan represents all three of those things. But Ryan has also spoken openly about his desire to severe ties with the Ducks after they’ve tossed his name on the trade block multiple times, and now the pressure is on Anaheim to deal an obviously unhappy player before training camp opens in September.
Honestly, it would be a solid coup if the Ducks could land a strong (and underrated) player like Krejci plus a decent draft pick for Ryan.
As Haggerty points out, the two players have a lot in common in the comparable amount of points they’ve put up in their careers, their age and even their affordable cap hits. It’s true that Ryan has superior size and is a more prolific goal-scorer - two of the most desired assets in the NHL - but the Ducks are also lacking some leverage because everyone knows that Ryan wants out. Getting a comparable (if more subtle) scoring center and an asset for that talented winger would be quite the strong work considering the situation.
(One might even compare it to the Atlanta Thrashers wrangling Marian Hossa and Greg de Vries for Dany Heatley despite being in an even more awkward conundrum many moons ago.)
Still, the Bruins would be dealing from an area of strength (center depth) to add the kind of winger who would probably fit in well in Beantown. Giving up a nice package might not matter much if Ryan thrives like many imagine he could - especially if Nathan Horton’s concussion issues persist.
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How do you feel about the idea, though? Would Boston give up too much in the scenario? Is Krejci actually better than Ryan, anyway? Share your thoughts in the comments.