Ryan Kesler has been mentioned quite a bit in trade rumors for the Vancouver Canucks at the NHL trade deadline and teams like the Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks, LA Kings, Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings all could be interested in a deal before the deadline hits at 3 pm on Wednesday.
Kesler and Ryan Callahan are the most high profile players left on the trade market after Ryan Miller and Roberto Luongo were moved and those goalies are now with the St. Louis Blues and Florida Panthers after separate deals. Thomas Vanek is another name that is expected to move, while the top teams are looking at Kesler and what the Canucks will do, as ESPN.com is reporting that the asking price is very high for Kesler, as Vancouver wants a center, a top prospect and draft picks in any deal.
Vancouver may be willing to lower that asking price now that Luongo has been traded, as they now have some financial flexibility and finally got him off the books after two long years of speculation about whether he would get moved or not. According to Pro Hockey Talk, the Penguins are willing to meet the asking price of the Canucks for Kesler, as the team feels that they have a short window with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin at this age and after trading for Jarome Iginla last season, this could be the move they make to try and push for the Stanley Cup playoffs this year.
The 29 year old is one of the top players on the market and he already has said he will not okay a deal to the Columbus Blue Jackets, but he would accept one to the Rangers or the Red Wings. The team could make a deal with the Rangers, as they have Ryan Callahan and they are working on an extension with him, as he is set to be a free agent, but so far the two sides have not been able to agree on a deal. Martin St. Louis could get moved in that deal and Kesler is a target as well and he is one player that teams want to get their hands on.
ESPN.com reports that the Penguins, Kings and Red Wings are the most likely to make a deal and that the Ducks could be a dark horse to get it done. The team just made a flurry of moves at the deadline and they are one of the best out west this season.
Luongo had been great for the Canucks for a period, but his decade long contract was a real issue and the team finally offloaded him to his old team in the Florida Panthers. The Buffalo Sabres pulled off a similar move, as they traded Ryan Miller to the Blues for Jaroslav Halak and Chris Stewart and now he may sign an extension with the team. The Blues biggest issue was goaltending and now they have a very experiences goalie to take into the playoffs and they have been battling with the Chicago Blackhawks for the central division lead all season.
