While the NHL's collective bargaining negotiations haven't stopped speculation on the Vancouver Canucks' efforts to trade All-Star goaltender Roberto Luongo, things have been much more quiet on some of the summer's other remaining trade targets. Jay Bouwmeester is still in the news, given the blueline needs of teams like the Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers, but on the subject of Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Keith Yandle and Anaheim Ducks winger Bobby Ryan, things are considerably quieter.
Both players were discussed as trade targets around the NHL Entry Draft in June, although neither the Coyotes nor the Ducks were actively pursuing a trade. It was assumed that Ryan would be the "Plan B" for teams that missed out in their pursuit of Rick Nash, but the July deal that sent Nash to the New York Rangers was not followed by a swell of interest in Ryan.
It's certainly not that there aren't teams who could use Ryan's talents. With the teams that are willing to put up $6 million per year or more to acquire the services of Shane Doan (which, admittedly, come with a wealth of experience and veteran presence), one has to figure that somebody would be just as interested in Ryan, if not more so.
The snag, as with all trades, is that Anaheim is going to want something in return, and in this case, it's quite likely that that "something" could be defense. The Ducks lost top prospect Justin Schultz to Edmonton via free agency, and traded Lubomir Visnovsky to the New York Islanders. Anaheim did bring in stay-at-home stalwart Bryan Allen during free agency and sign Sheldon Souray to bolster the power play, but the long-term promise of Schultz is still tough to take, and Souray was definitely a risk. If a team is going to come calling about a trade for Ryan, some kind of defensive help - now and/or for the future - could be part of the package Anaheim demands in return.
That would certainly rule out the Flyers, who had been considered a top contender for Ryan because of both their need to keep up with the Rangers and the fact that Ryan hails from the Philadelphia suburb of Cherry Hill, N.J. The Flyers' defense is banged up, with Andreas Lilja, Andrej Meszaros and Chris Pronger all expected to be unavailable for the start of the 2012-13 season, and Philadelphia is looking for help on its own blueline. The Flyers aren't exactly in a position to give Anaheim the help they want.
The Penguins also don't have the kind of defensemen to offer the Ducks for Ryan. Actually, they do, but they aren't going to part with the likes of Kris Letang, and Matt Niskanen and Paul Martin aren't likely to raise the interest of Anaheim general manager Bob Murray. The Penguins did acquire an intriguing defensive prospect in Brian Dumoulin as part of the Jordan Staal trade, but the Penguins are more likely to concentrate on the pursuit of Doan for the time being.
The Ducks aren't in a hurry to trade Ryan, and with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry due to become unrestricted free agents next summer, any trade for Ryan will have to give Anaheim pieces that they can keep together for a few years. Some of that may be up front, but defense should be a priority as well.
