Filling a Void, James Neal Or Bobby Ryan?

The Toronto Maple Leafs are in dire need of a skilled, two way forward, that can compliment their top 6 forwards which currently holds only Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak as locks. Nikolai Kulemin remains un-signed; Mikhail Grabovski's future with the buds remains up in the air. Nazem Kadri, as apparent as it is that he will be making the Leafs, may, or may not successfully make the smooth transition to the NHL. And Victor Stalberg seems deemed for a top 6 spot, but will have to compete for top 6 minutes, especially if more players are brought in. 

Brian Burke has made it no secret that he will go out into the open market and sign a top 6 forward by means of trade or free agency. Here are just two intriguing restricted free agents that Burke will have on his radar this summer. Bobby Ryan in Anaheim, James Neal in Dallas. Neal 22 and Ryan 23 are both un-signed restricted free agents, both looking for raises and both in organizations not looking to spend to the cap.

On top of all of this, both organizations are in need of a puck moving defense men. Scott Niedermayer looks to retire in Anaheim, and the Stars have never seemed to make the jump back to the postseason after losing Sergei Zubov to the KHL.
 
Let's take a look at Bobby Ryan first. A silver medalist with the Americans at the Olympics just a few months ago with Burke, Wilson, and Kessel of the Leafs, Bobby Ryan seems destined to be a maple leaf. You know there is a connection here, and we all know Burke would love to re-acquire the player he drafted 2nd overall behind only Sidney Crosby during his time in Anaheim.
 
But landing Ryan will be no easy task for the magician who subsequently added Dion Phaneuf for spare parts and the man who snatched a 30-40 goal sniper in Kessel who was than in the same boat as Ryan is in now. Bobby Ryan has had back to back 30 + goal seasons, so It's no secret that Ryan will be seeking a raise of upwards of 5 million dollars U.S. Look for Ryan to get a similar deal Kessel received at 5.4 million a year, or the 5.35 million Perry and Getzlaf received in Anaheim.

One would think the cap mangled Ducks would be hesitant to offer him a contract worth more than their stars in Perry and Getzlaf. It would be a conflict of interest for the team. And remember, the ducks are claimed to be well below the NHL’s salary cap for next year.
 
Bobby Ryan holds his own destiny, he holds the cards, and he can force his hand any which way he wants. If Ryan wants out of the Ducks organization, he will be gone. He controls the entire situation. However, his value would drop significantly less by doing this, hurting the ducks organization. What makes the ducks situation complicated is, if Ryan truly only wants to come to Toronto, Murray would be forced to make a trade with Toronto, and Toronto only. This takes away from some of his options. Ryan could refuse a sign and trade deal to play anywhere else in the league.

If Ryan does indeed want to come to Toronto and play with fellow American sniper Phil Kessel, a deal would most certainly be finalized. But again, it’s all about what Bobby Ryan wants. We saw the perfect example last season. Phil Kessel wanted to sign with the leafs, and although the Bruins never wanted to trade him to a division rival they play 8 times a year, they had no choice because Kessel wouldn't sign a contract with any other team.
 
If this event were to unfold, I could see a deal involving RFA, Nikolai Kulemin, Thomas Kaberle and a prospect such as Jimmy Hayes going the other way. Kulemin will receive approximately 2.5 – 3.0 million a year. It may be in the Ducks best interest having Kulemin play a similar role left by Ryan and having Kaberle fill an important role left by Niedermayer for the ducks in the long run. You are subsequently filling 2 important holes for nearly the price of one in a difficult situation. Not bad...
 
Maple Leafs potential top 6 with Bobby Ryan:
 
Bobby Ryan - Tyler Bozak - Phil Kessel
Victor Stalberg - Nazem Kadri – N/A
 
Let's turn the page to James Neal. James Neal would cost significantly less than what it would take to land Bobby Ryan, but would still cost the Leafs their prized defense men who are amongst the league’s best defensemen since the NHL lockout in 2004-2005.
 
The 22 year old Neal had somewhat of a break out year potting 27 goals and adding 28 assists for 55 points playing on the second line in Dallas. The Dallas Stars have Loui Eriksson, their captain Brendan Morrow, and rookie sensation Jamie Benn all at Left Wing, deeming Neal expendable. Dallas also has money committed to Steve Ott, Mike Ribeiro and 7.8 million dollar man Brad Richards.
 
I could definitely see the stars parting with their emerging power forward for a position they lack in, a puck moving defensemen. One in Thomas Kaberle that General Manager Joe Nieuwendyk is familiar with. Kaberle 32 played one season with the stars GM during the 2003-2004 season. A Neal for Kaberle deal would help both teams in regard to what they need most.
 
Let’s add more to the deal for sake of discussion. One year after Swedish sensation Jonas Gustavsson chose Toronto over Dallas, the Leafs also signed goalie Jussi Rynnas right from underneath the Dallas stars, a stars team that lacks goaltending prospects. The leafs also signed goalie Ben Scrivens out of Cornell in the ECAC league where he was awarded the Ken Dryden trophy for goalie of the year.

With 3 AHL ready goalies, the Maple Leafs may be comfortable trading away James Reimer to the stars if the leafs were to receive a pick in return, an area in where Toronto lacks. Toronto would get James Neal and a 3rd round pick, while Dallas receives Thomas Kaberle and James Reimer. Just an idea...
 
Maple Leafs potential top 6:
 
James Neal - Tyler Bozak - Phil Kessel
Victor Stalberg - Nazem Kadri - Nick Kulemin
 
Both situations are realistic possibilities and both improve the Maple Leafs roster by a fair margin. It’s not too far of a stretch to think Burke would be able to acquire one of Bobby Ryan or James Neal. Just look at Burke's resume. Thanks for reading.