It’s understandable why any team within a sniff of a Stanley Cup title would be after Ryan Kesler. Though the Vancouver Canucks centre isn’t quite what he once was, he remains a two-way menace who embodies the type of veteran, rugged player you can envision putting a team over the top.
The Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks are both believed to have an interest in Kesler, and while the Penguins have the more established history of making waves this time of year, it’s the Blackhawks who should be pushing hardest to land Kesler.
Chicago won the title last June despite icing a lineup that lacked an obvious No. 2 centre—and that was before Dave Bolland was shipped to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the draft. Without getting bogged down in labels, Bolland is likely more of an outstanding third-line pivot who can provide stretches of second-line production, as he did with 16 points in 22 games when the Hawks won the Cup in 2010. Slowed by a groin injury last year, Bolland produced just six points in 18 post-season contests—though as the Boston Bruins can tell you, he came through with a pretty clutch tally in the final game.
But he’s gone, and the Hawks have yet to replace him. After Jonathan Toews, Michal Handzus saw the most ice time of any centre during Chicago’s run to the Cup, and his average ice time was just over five minutes less per game than the Hawks captain. Full marks to Handzus for the way he continues to serve as the secondary option, but there’s no doubt the Slovakian—who turns 37 next week—is better suited to a lesser role.
Add Kesler to the mix in Chicago, and all of a sudden you’ve got a perfect pivot hierarchy.
With Toews drawing the most heat as the unquestioned No. 1, Kesler would slide in beautifully as the No. 2 man, a role he’s familiar with from having played behind Henrik Sedin for years with the Canucks. In truth, for a two-year stretch from 2009-11, it could be argued the Kesler was actually Vancouver’s most impactful centre because he brought every element to the table. Injuries have no doubt taken a cumulative toll on the Michigan native, but he’s still got more than enough left to shine in a primary secondary role.
Beyond the obvious lineup fit, Kesler—who came within a single victory of the Cup in 2011, but has never won a ring—would also inject a new hunger in the Hawks. Gunning for its third title in five years, Chicago could surely use a dose of desire to combat the complacency that, yes, can even afflict teams led by Toews. (This is all assuming Kesler and the Hawks could set aside the bad blood from those bitter series waged by Chicago and Vancouver a few years back. Let’s assume Kesler’s Team USA buddy Patrick Kane could play peacemaker).
Trades, of course, have to appease two parties and given what a natural addition Kesler—who has two more years on his contract at a palatable $5-million cap hit—would be in the Windy City, Chicago GM Stan Bowman could more easily stomach surrendering the pieces required to make a deal happen. The first name out of Canucks GM Mike Gillis’ mouth would surely be Teuvo Teravainen, the shifty, gritty Finn who captained his country’s World Junior Championship entry to gold a couple months ago, putting up 15 points in seven games. Teravainen is so good it’s actually conceivable that he could serve as Chicago’s deadline acquisition, joining the club when his season ends in Finland.
Make no mistake; moving him would require an enormous gulp. But while any hockey man would be loathe to part with such a top-notch prospect, Chicago’s core is still young, and thought they do have to re-sign Toews and Kane before the summer of 2015, they don’t have to replace them. And Kesler—still just 29—isn’t a rental. The Dallas Stars likely didn’t want to give Jarome Iginla to the Calgary Flames all those years ago, but having Joe Nieuwendyk in the lineup propelled them to a Cup.
Package Teravainen with a draft pick and an established young NHLer like Marcus Kruger, and all of a sudden you’ve got Vancouver dreaming of the day when a 1-2-3 of Bo Horvat—drafted ninth overall last year—Teravainen and Kruger down the middle is running the Western Conference.
As for the Penguins’ rumoured interest in Kesler, he seems more like a luxury item for a team that runs out Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin as its top two centres. Certainly there are any number of scenarios where acquiring Kesler makes sense—he can move to wing, as could Malkin, in theory—but it’s just not the dream fit Chicago is, especially if Vancouver wants young centres back. Pittsburgh’s best chips are on the blueline and its biggest need may yet prove to be a goalie. Marc-Andre Fleury has faltered in recent springs and desperately needs a good post-season to reestablish his reputation. If, for the sake of argument, that doesn’t happen, the Pens won’t be able to ignore the problem any longer and may want to flip their ‘A’ prospects for a goalie in the summer or at the very least, earmark that money for taking a run at a free agent goalie like Ryan Miller.
Part of the reason people are linking Pittsburgh with Kesler is because Pens GM Ray Shero has established a precedent of big moves at the deadline, acquiring the likes of Marian Hossa, Bill Guerin and Iginla in recent seasons. Chicago, meanwhile, tends to stay clear of the limelight this time of year, making minor moves like the one that landed Handzus last April. It’s really hard to take issue with the course Bowman and his staff has charted, but these are exceptional circumstances where a perfect fit is there for the taking. No team stands to gain more from reaching out and grabbing Kesler than the Hawks.