Piggy Bank Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 VANCOUVER — After all the bad luck, bad injuries and bad hockey endured this winter by the Vancouver Canucks, the hockey gods took pity on them and bestowed a simple gift: Ryan Kesler wanted a trade. And then those heartless scoundrels took it away. Kesler insisted Thursday he is happy in Vancouver and denied Quebec television reporter Louis Jean's Wednesday bombshell that the Canuck asked for a trade at the start of the season. Kesler's agent, Kurt Overhardt, was even more blunt, calling the report “b.s.” We don't think he meant brilliantly savvy. But just because Kesler says he has not officially asked for a trade does not mean one will not happen because the Canucks, under the distinct impression their two-way star centre is unhappy here and will not use his no-trade-clause to block a mutually agreeable deal, have quietly been taking and shaping offers on Kesler for a while. Moving Kesler — if it happens before Wednesday's National Hockey League trading deadline — could save the Canucks' season. But general manager Mike Gillis must get it right because the playoffs, the future of the Canucks and Gillis’s job are probably riding on it. That's why the team doesn't view Wednesday as the deadline to move Kesler, who has two years remaining on his contract. Get beyond the hysteria and intrigue over Jean's report and it's evident that trading one of their cornerstone players could actually be a blessing for a Canucks team in danger of missing the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2008. It's not that there's anything wrong with Kesler as player, other than the susceptibility to injury his playing style exacerbates. Far from it. The 29-year-old from Detroit is one of the best two-way forwards in the game. His epic Olympic performance in 2010, followed by another noble Winter Games this month in Sochi, Kesler's Selke Trophy win in 2011 and his role in the Canucks' Stanley Cup Final run that season, his age and moderate contract combine to make the centre a titanic asset. But for the Canucks, with so many needs short- and long-term, Kesler's value is best leveraged in trade rather than as Vancouver's second-line centre, which is what he will be when he returns from a hand injury suffered with Team USA in Russia. Maybe the surprising thing is that it took until Wednesday for the Kesler genie to start wriggling out of the bottle, especially since journalists in Sochi were hearing last weekend that he wanted a trade. National Post columnist Bruce Arthur reported during the Canucks' 1-0 win over the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday that Kesler told people after the bronze-medal game that he wanted out. “False, hashtag sochiproblems,” Kesler said Thursday in Twitterspeak. “No, I never commented to anybody that I wanted out. My heart is with this team and making the playoffs.” When the Kesler story broke, Gillis addressed it by not addressing it. He cited the privacy of any player's personal issues and the need to keep internal matters internal. Perhaps the general manager simply didn't want to mislead anyone by claiming everything is terrific. Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Trading+Ryan+Kesler+could+blessing+Canucks/9560602/story.html#ixzz2ueb7vcX2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tortorellatheboss Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Good riddance! Most over-rated third line center in the game! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xbox Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 thread after thread holy hell When is trade deadline? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikael Samuelsson Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Good riddance! Most under-rated first line center in the game! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batmania Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Good riddance! Most over-rated third line center in the game! I've never told somebody to stop posting. I believe everybody has a right to say what they want no matter how stupid it may be. Why do I bring that up? I dunno. Get real. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogbyte Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 thread after thread holy hell When is trade deadline? Wed Mar 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tortorellatheboss Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I've never told somebody to stop posting. I believe everybody has a right to say what they want no matter how stupid it may be. Why do I bring that up? I dunno. Get real. slipping stats and injury problems agree with me. Although a team will over pay for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monty Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 slipping stats and injury problems agree with me. Although a team will over pay for him. Considering how poorly the rest of the team is playing, he's putting up really good numbers. The kind that, if traded, would fetch a really good return. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOMapleLaughs Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 The article fails to address how trading him could be a blessing. Because he has more value as trade bait than as a player? Wow. How stupid is that? Is there a lineup of GM's out there willing to give us there better players/picks/prospects in return for the guy? No. All rumoured trades so far have Kesler clearly being the best player involved, and that's taking into account age, injury status and playing style. The only blessing involved may be that the Canucks would implode further and that, from a self-servant media pricks' point of view, would be a very welcome event. No group of hockey media in the country loves a loser more than these whiners. I would suggest erradicating them all before the next time the Canucks rise again. We need a winning mentality here, not one that enjoys losing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watermelons Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 IMO Kesler is worth more to the team than he could get in return. He's not only a great player but he's also one of the emotional leaders of the team. Yes, he may have some attitude issues but it's never a bad thing to have one or two cocky players on the team. Look at Patrick Kane... I wouldn't be against trading Kesler if we got something good in return, but I don't want it to be another Hodgson trade where we only get a prospect that won't help out in the immediate future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesman60 Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 The press will flog this until the deadline has come and gone. It might serve Vancouver well because it might cause a few GM's to take a look at the Vancouver players and make an offer for someone else too. With the exception of the Sedin's who have NMC's, I would think that anyone else on the team is in play if the trade can improve the Canucks in the long term by addressing our shortcomings like lack of quality prospects, lack of scoring and lack of size. We haven't been exactly filling the net so that has to rate high on our priority list. The last think that we need is an aging rental player because this team is not ready to challenge for the Cup by making a move like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Fig Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Of course it could. It's very possible. Let's see what Gillis can come up with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardi Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Ya lets trade the one guy thats doing his job Lets trade the whole team. That will get the Sedins to score some goals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalky Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 slipping stats and injury problems agree with me. Although a team will over pay for him. He's on pace for his second highest goal total in his nhl career, on a team that can hardly score. His numbers are exactly as I would expect under the circumstances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aGENT Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 He's on pace for his second highest goal total in his nhl career, on a team that can hardly score. His numbers are exactly as I would expect under the circumstances. *better actually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millerdraft Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 If Kesler does indeed want out, why the F is he playing tonight vs the Wild and risking exacerbating the hand injury suffered in Sochi? http://www.nhl.com/ice/blogpost.htm?id=26648&navid=nhl:topheads Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliboy Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I thought before the Olympics that his focus was on the Olympics, he just didn't seem to be focused on the here and now, just my sense of what I saw. The blessing is, if some GM's, who already have a good team, convince themselves that he is the ticket to the cup and they get in a bidding war, we could do well. If he really doesn't want to be here and we get good value, then it could work out well for us. And yes, I could see a number of teams absolutely drool over having Kesler. They are going to assume that once he's in the US, where he wants to be, it's going to be Beast Mode all the time. Let them dream!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baka Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 IMO Kesler is worth more to the team than he could get in return. He's not only a great player but he's also one of the emotional leaders of the team. Yes, he may have some attitude issues but it's never a bad thing to have one or two cocky players on the team. Look at Patrick Kane... I wouldn't be against trading Kesler if we got something good in return, but I don't want it to be another Hodgson trade where we only get a prospect that won't help out in the immediate future. I feel that is an overrated trait. Their are plenty of high strung emotional leaders all over the NHL. I actually feel its harder to name teams that don't have any. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLASSJAW Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 He's on pace for his second highest goal total in his nhl career, on a team that can hardly score. His numbers are exactly as I would expect under the circumstances. i don't like this argument at all. who cares what he's on pace for, unless he actually achieves it? and if he achieves it, does that overshadow the fact that the second line is STILL trash with him performing so 'well?' i've said it a billion times this week: 8 of Kesler's 20 goals came in 4 games. 9 of his 20 goals came in the first month of the season. even IF he does finish with what his pace suggests, that doesn't mean he has great skill OR consistency. in fact, his stats suggest the EXACT opposite. i hope he does well, but when Kesler isn't performing well with his 'intangibles' then his mediocre statistic achievement isn't that impressive. Kesler hasn't scored 20 goals in the face of adversity, he's scored 20 goals while having almost the most shots in the league and 22 minutes per night. the league is loaded with players who can do that AND more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herberts Vasiljevs Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Good riddance! Most over-rated third line center in the game! You don't deserve to have such a glorious sig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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