Michael_Stuart

"Covering Bolts Hockey "

" • Canada • 26 Years Old • Male

Why Bolts Must Get Into Bobby Ryan Trade Discussions

Someone on TSN had a great quote a couple days ago about Bobby Ryan. He said “if you have a guy who 29 other teams want, don’t trade him.” To a certain extent, that’s very true. But all indications have pointed towards the fact that Ducks GM Bob Murray is indeed listening to offers with some intent of shipping off the budding young superstar.

Here at HockeyBuzz, Eklund has provided us with an abundance of Bobby Ryan coverage. Teams like Toronto, Philadelphia and a few others continually pop up in his discussions, nothing really shocking about any of those teams. What does surprise me is that there hasn’t been a reported ounce of interest from Steve Yzerman and the Lightning camp.

Offensively, this team is struggling right now. There is a huge question about depth as, after Stamkos, St. Louis and Lecavalier, there isn’t a lot going on offensively for this team. St. Louis has been a great warrior for this franchise. I would argue that he has singlehandedly built this team from the ground up. His heart is worn on his sleeve every time he steps onto the ice. With all that said, he is 36 years old. In normal people years, that’s closing in on 105. The day St. Louis hangs up the skates will be a really sad one in Tampa. He should have his jersey up in the rafters the day he retires.

The other “core members” are Lecavalier, 31, Malone, 32, and Purcell, 26. Of course, I’m leaving Stamkos and Connolly out of this little discussion as they are definitely players to build around going forward. Out of the three guys I’ve listed above, Purcell is the closest to his prime and even then he isn’t an offensive force by definition. Sure, he’s an offensive forward, but he’s no Bobby Ryan.

This team is aging, and aging fast. A move needs to be made to bring in another young star to compliment Steven Stamkos in the Lightning’s quest for a second Stanley Cup. The question becomes what would it take to get a deal done with the Ducks for Ryan?

Early reports indicate that the Ducks would want a top 6 forward, a solid defenseman and a pick or prospect in exchange for Ryan. Obviously to get a player like Ryan you are going to have to give up a lot. So what do the Lightning have that would be of interest to the Ducks?

Well for starters, I think the Ducks would probably want Connolly. He is an affordable young player that is going to have a really great National Hockey League career. Now, if I’m Steve Yzerman I’m not just handing over Connolly in any package to get Ryan. There needs to be a bigger, package deal in order for Connolly to be thrown in.

So what’s the appeal for the Lightning in Ryan? Well you’re getting a guy who has done nothing but score 30 goals a season for the past few years. In all honesty, I don’t think there’s any reason that this guy can’t get to 40 when put in the right situations. He’s your typical offensive power forward who knows how to use his body to create open spaces. Can you imagine him with Stamkos and St. Louis? That line would almost instantly be the best in the league.

Ryan’s cap hit is an affordable (for what you’re getting) one of just over $5million. The Lightning are a budget team so they would have to send some salary back to Anaheim. Keeping that in mind, sometimes you make sacrifices to get great players like Ryan.

Steve Yzerman, take a good look at this team’s depth right now and moving forward. It’s time that everyone realizes just how much help this team is going to need in a few years. Ryan is a great place to start.

Please leave your comments and Ryan proposals in the comment section below. Do you believe that Ryan is a good fit in Tampa?

Thanks for reading.

Follow me on Twitter: @michaelstuart93

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