Seeing What Sticks: The Anaheim Ducks Should Inquire About James van Riemsdyk
No harm, no foul!
Unless you live in a cave, or on the moon, or even better, in a cave on the moon, you are well aware of the big move that dominated all of the headlines yesterday:
Toronto has traded RW Phil Kessel to Pittsburgh. Kessel led Leafs with 61 Pts last season. (via @TSN_Sports) pic.twitter.com/fb1vNqFtgK
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 1, 2015
The @penguins acquire Phil Kessel from @MapleLeafs. Details: http://t.co/2hhnoPGjdI #NHLFreeAgency pic.twitter.com/vYGB4W9B6Z
— NHL (@NHL) July 1, 2015
Here's the full terms of the Phil Kessel trade. Retained 15% of his salary as well, which is big. pic.twitter.com/amDcZQnRJb
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) July 1, 2015
@ducks71583 @PucksofaFeather @DucksNPucks well what's taking so long all I hear is kessell this kessel that blah blah blah lol
— Raymond Elerick (@RaymondElerick) July 1, 2015
Shipping Kessel out of town for a whole lot of . . . err . . . nothing proves that the Toronto Maple Leafs are ready to move in a brand new direction – not that they had any other choice, of course, but you still hate to see a franchise take the scorched earth approach. (If you don’t agree with my assessment, head over to FanSided’s Editor in Leaf and read what Toronto fans believe!) Of course, if Toronto is truly looking to head in a new direction, it certainly would not hurt for Anaheim Ducks GM Bob Murray to give Leafs President Brendan Shanahan a call in order to discuss the future of left winger James van Riemsdyk.
What’s that, you say? JVR is the only player on Toronto’s roster who is untouchable? Nonsense. The Maple Leafs are not making the playoffs next year, and possibly the decade after that. If the right offer happens to come along, you know Shanahan will take it.
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So what do the Anaheim Ducks have to lose by inquiring about JVR’s services? Look: we all love Patrick Maroon, but we also realize that if the Ducks really want to win a Stanley Cup with the current roster, they need a true scorer starting on the left wing alongside Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Van Riemsdyk led the Leafs in goals scored last season with 27, en route to a 27-29-56 season on a terrible squad. If you would like to argue with me that Kessel made JVR a better player, I will kindly remind you that playing with Getzlaf will make JVR and even BETTER player. Asking about van Riemsdyk is a no-brainer, and even if the Leafs are asking for a blue-chip prospect and a first-round pick, it’s a move Bob Murray should consider.
I understand that the Ducks appear to be only a tweak or two away from getting over the hump and making it to the Stanley Cup Final, but we all know that EVERY team in the Western Conference feels that way. The Los Angeles Kings, those feared duck-killers come the playoffs, certainly don’t seem to plan on missing out on postseason action again. The young and exciting Calgary Flames just added Dougie Hamilton and Michael Frolik. And the damn Chicago Blackhawks just find ways to win come June. We don’t really think adding Shawn Horcoff is the final tweak, do we?
I have zero complaints about the moves that the Ducks have made so far this offseason, and I still like this team’s chances of being one of the top three teams in the Western Conference next season. Still, Murray has absolutely nothing to lose by making this call. No offense to a player like Nick Ritchie or Shea Theodore, but neither one of these kids is going to move up to the Ducks and make the sort of impact in 1-2 years that van Riemsdyk can make now. The Maple Leafs are having a fire sale – sure as hell sounds like a time for the Anaheim Ducks to at least go window shopping.