Trade Bait: Bobby Ryan

With the Anaheim Ducks struggling to start the season, all sorts of rumors are swirling. Rumors say the coach will be fired. Rumors say there will be a fire sale on talent. Personally, I'm not confident the Ducks will actually move one of their young superstars but they have reportedly been receiving calls. At the centre of these calls is Bobby Ryan.

Who is Bobby Ryan?

Bobby Ryan is a game breaking talent and at this point, I think it is fair to say he is a consistent thirty goal scorer. He has also had one of the best +/- totals on his team in each of the last 3 seasons. The nerdier numbers like him too, as he has had one of the best Corsi ratings on his squad over the same time period. Both of these stats were often ahead of those posted by Perry and Getzlaf. He is also young enough that he could help a team for a number of years.

What is Bobby Ryan's value?

This is a little tougher to nail down. Young thirty goal scorers don't end up on the trade market very often and even in the draft, they aren't easy to hammer down. Last year there were only twenty nine 30 goal scorers across the league. That is less than one per team on average. Most years (in this era) there are less than 40 such players. Ryan is also one of only 8 players on the league who has scored 30 goals in each of the last 3 seasons. Combine that info with his high +/- and Corsi and I think it is fair to say Ryan is a pretty valuable player and the Ducks will likely be looking for a lot if they are going to move him.

So... What is Bobby Ryan worth?

This is where things get complicated and obviously this will depend largely on any potential trade partner. It will also depend on what Anaheim is hoping to get in return.

That said, Bobby Ryan is easily the kind of player who could / should command 2 early first round picks and probably more. If you are a playoff team that will not be drafting anywhere near the lottery for the foreseeable future, this might be the only way you can get a hold of a player like Ryan outside of spending big dollars on the free agent market. If you are a lottery team and you are willing to move a few pieces and a high pick in order to acquire a player is closer to a "sure thing" I suppose you can go in that direction as well.

Should the Jets look at trading for Bobby Ryan?

Obviously any credible GM will do their due diligence any time a player of this caliber becomes available and if there is a deal that makes sense, you have to take it. That said, a team in the Jets situation, probably should not trade a ton of draft picks for Bobby Ryan. Even though the Jets have shown the ability to hang with almost any team in the league, the standings say they are the 7th worst team. At this point, the Jets are closer to a lottery pick than they are to a playoff spot. Those lottery picks are extremely valuable.

What kind of package could the Jets put together for Ryan?

If the Ducks move Ryan, they will likely be looking to add depth, draft picks and the rumors say they are looking for a big defense man. They will also probably want to shed or maintain their cap number. I will throw together a few possible scenarios simply for discussion sake, I don't necessarily agree with them either.

Bobby Ryan for Dustin Byfuglien

Bobby Ryan and Peter Holland for Johnny Oduya, Arturs Kulda, Blake Wheeler and a 1st round pick.

Bobby Ryan and Emerson Etim for Alexander Burmistrov, Brett Festerling and Arturs Kudla and a 2nd round pick

Bobby Ryan for Mark Stuart, Kyle Wellwood, Paul Postma and a 1st round pick.

As I have stated, I don't think Ryan will be moved. I do think he is one heck of a talent though and he could definitely make our team better. Imagine Kane one one side, Ryan on the other. Pick a centre, it would be fun.