DAILY RUMORS: Bobby Ryan Signing Delays and Trade Rumors

We at HockeyIndependent.com want to be your resource and filter for what is going on in the NHL. We try to disseminate the noise in the blogosphere. We don’t look to to attack those sources, but to question the veracity of the rumor with cold logic, hockey smarts and knowledge. To do that… we have partnered with the one of the best in the NHL blogosphere….Lyle Richardson of SpectorsHockey.net. Daily Rumors with Lyle Richardson will now be a regular feature on HI this summer and beyond…

With the month of August pretty much half over the Anaheim Ducks appear no closer to inking restricted free agent forward Bobby Ryan to a new contract than they were when the off-season began.

Little wonder then Ryan’s name continues to pop up in the rumor mill despite GM Bob Murray’s insistence he’s not shopping the scoring winger.

Speculation persists around the internet suggesting the Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs will engage in a “Ryan for Tomas Kaberle” swap but Murray has repeatedly denied that’s going to happen.

True, the Ducks priority is to land another defenseman and Murray has stated that’s where his current focus is but not at the expense of Ryan.

It’s been suggested Murray is hoping to free up cap space in order to re-sign Ryan but a quick look at CapGeek.com indicates that’s not an issue for the Ducks, as they currently have over $10 million committed to 23 players.

http://www.capgeek.com/charts.php?Team=6

It’s been widely reported the issue between Murray and Ryan isn’t the salary ($5 million per season is agreeable to both sides) but rather the term, with Murray hoping to ink the winger to a five year deal whereas Ryan wants a three-year one to take him up to his first year of eligibility for UFA status thus giving himself more leverage for a big contract, either from the Ducks or elsewhere.

Term, not cap space is the issue here. Murray has no reason to move out a player to free up cap space for Ryan.

If the Ducks GM is waiting for anything it’s likely to land a quality defenseman and then turn his attention to finally hammering out a new contract for Ryan.

Lyle Richardson
SpectorsHockey.net
twitter.com/spectorshockey