Whether or not Ryan Kesler actually wants out of Vancouver at this point is still unknown.
NHL trade rumors roundup: Ryan Kesler joins the rumor mill
Ryan Kesler is the latest big name to join the NHL’s rumor mill. Will he be traded for the March 5 deadline?
John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Spo
What we do know is that nobody is willing to admit it. His agent denied it (as any good agent would), his general manager refused to talk about it, and if nothing else we have one more big name to throw into the rumor mill for a couple of days. With Martin St. Louis and Ryan Callahan already in there, this trade deadline is already one of the more interesting ones we’ve seen over the past few years.
Full Deadline Coverage
As for Kesler, if he really is on the block there should be no shortage of teams lining up to make an offer. He’s had some injury problems the past two years, including what might have been a broken hand that he suffered at the Olympics, but he’s still a fierce defensive player and a 20-goal scorer down the middle.
Any contending team that needs a second-line (or perhaps even third-line) center should be doing their due diligence and lighting up the phone of Canucks general manager Mike Gillis.
- Is it possible that a Kesler trade could be the start of a massive overhaul in Vancouver?
- If Pittsburgh wants to revive the three-center model it had with Jordan Staal leading a third-line behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins could be in the mix for Kesler.
- Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello sees his team as a buyer right now, but that could change over the next four games. Quite honestly, the biggest improvement the Devils could make is simply giving Cory Schneider the bulk of the starts in net.
- Martin Erat still wants the Washington Capitals to trade him. That might be a problem for the Capitals considering the market for players with six goals in their last 96 NHL games (and only one in 51 games this season).
- St. Louis Blues general manager gives Jaroslav Halak a vote of confidence, even comparing him to Ed Belfour. The Blues are the team most often connected to Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller in trade talks.
See More:
