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Posts Tagged Bobby Ryan

NHL Photo of the Day

Jan 23

Posted by EB in Media, News, NHL Photo of the Day | No Comments

AP Photo/Lori Shepler

Bobby Ryan of the Anaheim Ducks celebrates a goal against the Colorado Avalanche. Ryan, who has been the topic of trade rumors, scored two goals on the night and has 10 points in 10 games played in the month of February.

The Anaheim Ducks are currently on the outside looking in for a playoff spot being in 13th place in the Western Conference. Winning five in a row under new Head Coach Bruce Boudreau, the team is starting to click and where it leads them no one will know. If you are a Ducks fan, the remainder of the season is going to be a fun one to watch. My hunch, they end in 9th spot and less than 4 points out, with the last couple games either making or breaking their playoff hopes.

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Bobby Ryan Nets Ducks First Shorthanded Goal of Season

Jan 7

Posted by Eddie in Media | No Comments

Not much good has gone right for the Anaheim Ducks this season. Yours truly drafted Bobby Ryan and Ryan Getzlaf in the second and third rounds respectively of our fantasy hockey league. The Ducks have already fired their coach and have the second-worse record in the NHL. They got themselves a good coach now in Bruce Boudreau, who was fired by Washington a couple days prior to coming to Anaheim.

The one bright spot the Ducks have had this season was last night’s shorthanded goal by Ryan. At New York, he was able to use his stick handling ability to skate around the defense and use a beautiful sweeping move from his backhand side to his forehand to score for the Ducks. It was the teams first shorthanded goal of the season, leaving Calgary and Detroit as the only teams not to score while shorthanded.

 

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Selanne, Koivu only ‘untouchables’ for Anaheim Ducks

Jan 5

Posted by Chris in Rumors | No Comments

After seeing how well the Philadelphia Flyers have fared since trading their two biggest names in the offseason, it appears as if Anaheim Ducks general manager Bob Murray could be contemplating blowing up the core of his roster as well.

Murray told Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times that the only untouchables in his roster at this point are Koivu and Selanne because each of them has no trade clauses in their contracts.

“I still believe we have some core players. Now, whether we have to change a few players, so be it. They’re deciding who’s staying and who’s not staying at this point.” Murray told Elliott.

This means that players such as Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan could all potentially be in play come trade deadline time.

However, it appears as if Getzlaf and Ryan have more to worry about. Both players are having down seasons as Getzlaf is on pace to put up some of the worst stats of his career. Similarly, Ryan’s 13 goals and 21 points could result in his lowest points totals ever. Both players would be highly coveted by other teams and could yield a significant return.

The Ducks currently sit 14th in the Western Conference, 19 points out of a playoff spot. With stiff competition in the West, the team is unlikely to regain a playoff spot and could opt to start selling assets in hopes of building a contender for next season.

Murray made it clear, however, that he is looking for core-type players in return and won’t deal for draft picks and prospects. The team isn’t going into rebuilding mode, but they are looking to improve.

Ryan was the subject of major trade rumors earlier in the season, but those trade rumord quieted just as quickly as they started. He could find himself the center of attention again when the trade deadlines begins to creep up. Washington could make an offer, possibly for Semin straight up. The Islanders may look to get in on Ryan as well as they have several solid young forwards to offer. And don’t be surprised of Colorado pops up as a contender for Ryan as well. The Avs are on the cusp of a playoff spot and could offer up Paul Stastny in return.

Getzlaf could also garner some significant attention as well. Getzlaf is a big bodied, gritty forward capable of producing 70+ points a season. Nashville could make a pass at Getzlaf, possibly including Weber in the deal in some capacity, and Toronto could get in the mix as well, perhaps offering Nazem Kadri as part of the deal.

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Bobby Ryan trade rumors continue to circulate

Dec 1

Posted by Chris in Rumors | No Comments

The rumor mill began buzzing earlier this week with word out of Anaheim that general manager Bob Murray is entertaining offers for Ducks forward Bobby Ryan. Those rumors seem to have exploded since then with every blog, news site and armchair GM contributing their opinion on what it would take for their team to acquire Ryan.

No real denials have come out of Anaheim to squash the Ryan movement rumors, leading to speculation that offers are at least being entertained. And about 29 teams around the league are currently assessing their rosters and cap situations to figure out how they could make a reasonable pitch for Ryan.

Ryan is a young, versatile player who can pretty much play any forward spot. He has three full seasons of NHL experience under his belt and has improved his point total in every season played. Ryan has scored at least 30 goals in each of those seasons and topped out at 71 points last year, arguably with room to improve. He has playoff experience, international play experience and would be a great addition to any lineup. Not to mention Ryan’s $5.1 million cap hit makes him a reasonably affordable asset.

So which teams might actually put together a reasonable pitch for Ryan? Rumors put Buffalo, Toronto, Philadelphia, and both New York teams in the mix. Nashville could also take a swing and some dreamers have Columbus making a straight up Carter-for-Ryan swap. Boston, Dallas and Edmonton have also been floated as possible destinations as well. Needless to say, almost anyone needing an impact forward is in the running.

The most intriguing destination in this list is Boston. Ryan would provide the team an offensive boost and he would fit their system well as he plays responsibly at both ends of the ice. The price would be hefty though. David Krejci, a restricted free agent, could be part of a possible trade package. A defenseman and perhaps a prospect or draft pick or two would also likely be included. Anaheim has holes in their roster and Krejci alone would not be enticing enough.

The two roll-your-eyes-at-the-obviousness teams on that list are the Rangers and Flyers. Seriously guys, you can’t have every player worth having in the NHL on your roster. However, both teams do have some depth forwards and some d-men that they could package together to entice Anaheim. Perhaps New York would be willing to part with Dubinsky and Del Zotto? Philadelphia may consider flipping Simmonds, shipping Van Riemsdyk or even including Matt Carle in some capacity.

The most likely destination would have to be Toronto. With Brian Burke calling the shots on Toronto, he would definitely pounce to get Ryan, the player he drafted second overall in 2005. Besides, Burke has adamantly stated over the past two years  that he wants another top-six scorer – something that he hasn’t been able to secure (unless you want to count Tim Connolly as that, but we don’t). Joffrey Lupul has been a significant surprise, but having Ryan on board would certainly solidify Toronto’s top two lines. And after several poor seasons, the Maple Leafs have the prospects to trade away as well. Nazem Kadri could be included, as could Nikolai Kulemin, Luke Schenn or Carl Gunnarsson. However, Toronto has zero cap space to work with this season, so the trade would have to be tit-for-tat salary wise in order for this to work for Toronto.

Whether a trade actually happens remains to be seen, but the Ducks need to make something happen if they plan on digging themselves out of the 6-13-4 record they currently have, and Ryan seems to be the disposable piece of the puzzle. I guess we should forget about a Selanne return to Winnipeg for Enstrom straight up, eh?

 

 

 

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NHL 2011-12 Season Preview: Anaheim Ducks

Sep 18

Posted by Eddie in Season Previews | No Comments

Offseason Losses: Andreas Lilja, Andy Sutton, Ray Emery, Todd Marchant, Jarkko Ruutu

Offseason Additions: Andrew Cogliano, Jeff Deslauriers, Kurtis Foster, Matheiu Carle

Last Season Ranking: 4th in the West

Will Corey Perry hold onto the same hardware at the NHL Awards in 2012?

Offense: Anaheim’s top line of Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan and Corey Perry is still of the deadliest in the league. Perry was the lone 50-goal scorer en route to winning the Hart Trophy as league MVP.  Ducks fans received the best news of all Thursday afternoon when Teemu Selanne announced online he was returning to the team for one more year. Earlier in the day, there was questionable speculation about him because he did not attend a team-sponsored golf outing but a video surfaced on nhl.com and the Ducks website announcing that he will be with the team when they begin the season in his home country of Finland. The Ducks return their second leading scorer as the Finnish Flash scored 31 goals and had 49 helpers last season.

They also return Rocket Richard and Hart Trophy winner in Corey Perry. Perry led the league in goals last season with 50 en route to a 98 point season. Look for power forward Ryan Getzlaf to score over 80 points should he stay healthy. He missed a chunk of the season due to injury and when he was playing he was force on the ice as he scored 76 points in 67 games. It’s pretty good going into training camp knowing what the top three lines will be. The top line will be Getzlaf, Perry and Bobby Ryan. Selanne will anchor the second line with newbie Sakiu Koivi and Jason Blake. Newbie Andew Cogliano could be on the No. 2 line but look for him to start at the third line with Kyle Palmieri and Brandon McMillian. Cogliano could be best suited for the third line because while playing in Edmonton he was getting torn up in the faceoff circle against the opposing second line center.

Defense: Cam Fowler is expected to have a good sophomore year. Top scoring defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky will see a lot of time on the power play with his ability to score. Can’t forget about Toni Lydman’s +32 rating, good for second in the league. That is impressive considering there was several minus players around him. Visnovsky and Lydman will form the top pairing and will see most of the time on special teams. Fowler will be paired on the second line with Francois Beauchemin while Luca Sbisa and newcomer Kurtis Foster are going to become the fifth and sixth defensemen.

Goaltending: It’s Jonas Hiller’s job. He missed the second half of the season due to a wicked case of vertigo and did not play after February 13. They since ran a trio of goalies in Ray Emery, Dan Ellis, and Curtis Elhinney to finish out the season. Elhinney and Emery is out and the fight for backup will come down to Ellis and newcomer Jeff Deslauriers. This is the biggest X-Factor because as much as experienced Ellis and Deslauriers are, they took a big risk in letting Emery go considering how well he played down the stretch.

Playoff Prediction: Every year they have the knock on them that they are too top heavy. They tried to add some depth further down with the addition of Cogliano. Expect them to make the playoffs and even contend for the division title should Getzlaf and Hiller stay healthy. The return of Selanne will prove to be the difference between them barely making the playoffs like last season and contending for the division title.

 

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Bobby Ryan Goal of the Year vs. Nashville

Apr 23

Posted by Matt in Media | No Comments

Did anyone catch game five between Anaheim and Nashville? If so, you were treated to one of the best goals from the 2010-11 NHL season and playoffs. After intercepting a David Legwand pass, Anaheim’s Bobby Ryan skated hard towards Pekka Rinne. At the blue line, Legwand was undressed for the first time, and between the circles, Ryan did it again cutting back the other way. After two ridiculous dangles, he went to his backhand and roofed it past Rinne.

Take a look at the video below, and let us know if you think this slick tally should be goal of the year!

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Hockey World Blog Season Previews 2010: Anaheim Ducks

Sep 18

Posted by Eddie in Season Previews | No Comments

Key Offseason Losses: Scott Neidermayer, James Wisnewski

Key Offseason Additions: Paul Mara, Toni Lydman

Last Season Ranking: 11th, West

The top two prospects in the Anaheim system are defensemen. Luca Sbisa will play this season, while 2010 12th overall draft pick Cam Fowler (above) should be in the NHL full-time in 2011.

The top two prospects in the Anaheim system are defensemen. Luca Sbisa will play this season, while 2010 12th overall draft pick Cam Fowler (above) should be in the NHL full-time in 2011.

 Offense: Anaheim is a team that is capable of making the playoffs with their offense. They are headlined by the triple threat of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan. The top line of the Ducks was good when they were able to play together, which wasn’t the case last season when Getzlaf was injured before the Olympic break but proceeded to play in Vancouver. It ultimately cost the Ducks a playoff birth as he wasn’t able to recover fully and the team went from on the bubble to out of the playoff picture when they lost five straight coming out of the break. The second line should add quality depth should any of the top three players go down, featuring Jason Blake, Saku Koivu, and Joffrey Lupul. 

Defense: Just as the offense is good, the defense is just as bad. They lost leadership and a veteran presence on the blue line when Scott Neidermayer retired. Not to mention one of the young defensemen of the future when James Wisnewski jumped ship and went to the Islanders. They were able get some of the holes plugged when they signed Paul Mara and Toni Lydman, but it’s not enough to replace the skill and leadership Neidermayer brought. Look for Luca Sbisa and Lubomir Visnovsky to contribute on the scoreboard as well. Sbisa’s downside is that he’s missed 40+ games the last two seasons with Portland of the WHL due to injury.

Goaltending: Jonas Hiller is the man between the pipes. After wrestling the job away from J-S Giguere, Hiller has found his place in Anaheim. After struggling to find his ground the first couple months on the job, Hiller was solid in goal the second half of the season. The Ducks would not have been in contention for the playoffs if it weren’t for Hiller. Should Hiller go down, Curtis McElhinney is the backup.

Season Outlook: Head coach Randy Carlyle can’t afford to dig himself another early season hole. In his 5 previous seasons in Anaheim, they have started out the season slow with the exception of the 2007 season when they started out 27-4-6 and brought home the Stanley Cup at the end of the season. They have what it takes from the forwards and goaltending to be a contender for the playoffs, but the defense is what should worry Anaheim fans. Look for them to come up short of the top eight when the season is over.

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Fantasy Hockey Draft Preparation 2010 – Right Wings

Aug 27

Posted by Chris in Fantasy | 2 Comments

With NHL training camps set to begin about four weeks from now, it’s time for fantasy hockey managers to start reengaging their brains and begin planning for their upcoming Fantasy Hockey Draft. Most drafts will take place in the latter-half of September, but it’s never too early to start looking for that gem of a late-round pick, the underrated talent who is set for a breakout season or the veteran presence who is due for a rebound year.

Today’s position: Right Wing

Right wing may be the shallowest position in fantasy hockey. There is a big disparity between your top-tier guys and the second-tier talent, which makes it essential that you walk into draft day knowing who your best bets are. If you’re looking for a good right wing, consider taking one of the players listed below.

Coyotes Sharks Hockey If You Have a Top 3 Pick – Consider Dany Heatley (pictured). Twice a 50-goal scorer, Heatley has a knack for the net and will give you offense in the range of 80-90 points per season.

If You Can’t Take Heatley – Then look at Martin St. Louis – especially if you want consistency. More than 50 assists in each of his past four seasons and 25 or more goals in those seasons as well. Not to mention he has played in all 82 games every one of those four seasons, too.

The Secret Is Out On – Bobby Ryan. Being the second-overall draft selection behind Sidney Crosby isn’t bad, and neither are 35 goals last season. Bobby Ryan is on the upswing and looks to only be getting better.

Still Under the Radar Is – Nathan Horton. With 20 or more goals in each of his past five seasons, many say Horton has yet to reach his full potential as he spent most of his time with a subpar Florida Panthers organization. A move to Boston where he could end up alongside Marc Savard could really help boost his offensive production this year.

Look for a Rebound Season From – Brad Boyes. After scoring 43 goals and 33 goals in consecutive seasons, Boyes fell backward last year and notched only 14 tallies. Boyes has good hands and knows how to find the back of the net and could easily find himself back up to between 20 and 30 goals this season.

Look for a Breakout Season From – Peter Mueller. Mueller showed a lot of promise in Phoenix but seemingly failed to reach his full potential. After being traded to Colorado last season, Mueller posted 20 points in 15 games – including nine goals – and showed what he is capable of achieving.

Keep An Eye On – Joffrey Lupul. Here is a guy who consistently hovers around the 50-point marker. Lupul was off to an impressive pace last season before injuries limited him to only 23 games. If he gets off to a hot start again, snatch him up because he could put up some decent numbers in Anaheim.

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Anaheim Ducks

Sep 18

Posted by Eddie in Season Previews | 1 Comment

ducks-logoThe question this team will have to answer will be “Which Anaheim Ducks will show up this season?” They can be either the team that upset the President’s Trophy-winning San Jose Sharks and took Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings to a seventh game in the second round, or be the team that struggled for most of the regular season before the trade deadline.

General Manager Bob Murray said in an interview that “Rebuilding is not in our vocabulary right now, I don’t like that word.” Well the Ducks sure aren’t rebuilding after becoming sellers at the trade deadline last season, but they are reloading. They still have one a quality top-line combination with center Ryan Getzlaf and wingers Bobby Ryan and Corey Perry. The oldest player of the trio (Getzlaf) is only 24 years old, which means they can continue to grow and dominate opponents together.

With youth as the top line, the Ducks have an experienced supporting cast of forwards. They signed Joffrey Lupul and Saku Koivu to compliment Teemu Selanne on the second line. The Ducks have arguably one of the best two-line combinations in the league.

The Ducks will have some quality talent to replace on the blue line as defensemen Chris Pronger, Bret Hedican, and Francois Beauchemin are all gone. The 48 points Pronger scored last season will be difficult to replace, but there is youth on defense in favor of James Wisniewski and Nick Boynton. That duo is projected to headline the second defensive unit.

Further down the depth chart, look for rookie defenseman Luca Sbisa to begin the season as the sixth defenseman but should crack the second defensive unit and see time on special teams if he plays well early in the season.

One question they do have however is in goal. They hope that Jean-Sebastien Giguere can regain the form he had in previous years, when his 3.10 GAA was his highest in 10 years when he appeared in 5 games for Calgary in 1999. In that 10-year span, he never had a GAA over 2.66. A goaltending competition between him and 27-year-old Jonas Hiller is healthy for both of them, but Giguere has said he won’t be content in a backup role. If Giguere wants to start, he must let his play do the talking and not his mouth.

This is the last season for 39-year-old Selanne, and being paired with countryman Koivu should help the Ducks compete with San Jose for the division title. This team can be either hot or cold throughout the season. If the team can click on all cylinders early on, expect this team to take the division and place either second or third in the west. But if the team can’t find their groove, the Ducks can slip to a low seed or even miss the playoffs.

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