NHL Trade Rumors: Bobby Ryan Is Not Heading to the New York Rangers

Bobby Ryan isn’t coming to Broadway, and that’s just fine for the New York Rangers.The Rangers never needed Bobby Ryan. They would have liked to have him, but couldn’t you say the same about the 28 other teams in the league? News broke on Thursday that the Anaheim Ducks General Manager Bob Murray was no longer shopping for Bobby Ryan.

@RealKyperNick Kypreos#Ducks GM Bob Murray has assured Bobby Ryan he is off #NHL trading market today. Also told Ryan's desire to be moved is no longer an issue.11 hours ago via Twitter for BlackBerry®  Favorite  Retweet  Reply

This news brought joy to Ducks' fans, and immediately bursted the Rangers’ fans bubbles. This saga is over. If you look at the situation, the Rangers will be just fine without Bobby Ryan. At least for now they will be.

It was obvious the Rangers wanted Ryan to ride shotgun on a line with Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards. Every team in this league seems to have a top line to provide a powerful punch. In the case of the Rangers, they have done a good job by spreading their talent equally amongst their lineup and their record proves that.

The New York Rangers (also famously known as Broadway Blueshirts) currently sit in second place in the Atlantic Division and fourth in the Eastern Conference. This impressive start is more than just numbers for the Rangers. The Rangers may have brought in marquee free agent Brad Richards this offseason to help the team, but this Rangers squad really is starting to click.

The Rangers have played handicapped all season long because of all-star defenseman Marc Staal’s absence. Despite having a relatively young blue line, the Rangers have allowed only 49 goals in 22 games. This stat is number one league wide. Can you imagine how low that number could remain if and when Marc Staal is back in the lineup? However, it seems that there are always a select few that can’t enjoy a good thing when they’ve got it.

Some fans feel that despite the hot start, the Rangers will flounder come playoff time due to their lack of scoring. They will cite numerous and previous years of evidence to justify their reasoning. They seem to forget about the solid defense. As well as the Swedish goaltender named Henrik Lundqvist, who just happens to be probably the best goalie in the NHL today. He is young, reliable, and has had great success thus far for the Rangers. The Rangers always have a greater chance of winning as long as the superstar Swede Lundqvist is between the pipes. 

Another monumental reason why the Rangers didn’t need Ryan at this point in time, is because of the rumored asking price. Larry Brooks of the New York Post had this to say in a blog post early Friday morning:

"The Ducks, who have taken Ryan off the market at least temporarily after dismissing coach Randy Carlyle and replacing him with Bruce Boudreau, never identified the players they wanted from the Rangers. In turn, general manager Glen Sather never made a concrete proposal, though it is believed he established general parameters about which young men he might be willing to send west.

The source told The Post that if the Ducks later this season seek a bounty for the 24-year-old power winger including two prime players off the NHL roster, a prospect and a draft choice, then the Rangers will not be acquiring him."

However for the sake of arguing, players that would have most likely been up for grabs include: Derek Stepan, Ryan McDonagh, Michael Sauer, Michael Del Zotto, Artem Anisimov, and stud prospects Dylan McIlrath and Chris Kreider.

Now looking at this list of players, was acquiring a young consistent 30 goal scorer worth selling the farm? Hasn’t the Rangers’ philosophy been about holding on to young players in order to nurture them and groom them for success?

Derek Stepan is a future stud center, and could be a potential 30 goal 70 point performer. Ryan McDonagh and Michael Sauer have already proved how important they are to the Rangers. So it is easy to understand why the Rangers didn’t need to trade them for Ryan.

What fans don’t realize is the team is finally in a position where there are four solid lines that contain members who are producing. John Tortorella has stopped tinkering around and has put each player in their rightful place. Adding Ryan at this juncture could have been more of a hinderance than a help.There is a popular saying that goes: a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. That simply means it is better to keep the advantage in cumulative talent over the addition of improving in only one area. 

This is how the Rangers lineup looked Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes:

Artem Anisimov | Derek Stepan | Marián Gáborík
Ruslan Fedotenko | Brad Richards (A) | Ryan Callahan (C)
Sean Avery | Brandon Dubinsky | Brandon Prust
Carl Hagelin | Brian Boyle | John Mitchell

The Rangers had fourteen different players register a point against the Hurricanes en route to a 5-3 win. This is a team that has won 11 out of their last 13 games. This is a team that is playing smart hockey and has defeated legitimate teams. Now there is a cause to make a change?

This season the Rangers have held their own against the San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals, and the Pittsburgh Penguins. No one expected the Rangers to play this well early on. The fact that the Rangers have one less win than the Penguins despite playing in four fewer games is quite remarkable.

Had the Rangers dealt for Ryan, that starting lineup would have undergone a massive shakeup. It could have made the team weaker. It is understandable that players like Ryan become available once in a blue moon, but no player should ever come before the entire team.

It is widely expected and understood that the Rangers will not go to war in the playoffs with their current roster. As the trade deadline approaches, the Rangers will hope Jordan Staal is closer to a return. If Staal is not back, expect Glen Sather to scout the market for potential scorers and veteran minutes eating defenseman.

While Bobby Ryan would have been quite the commodity for the Rangers to add, it was not the right time to make a move. The Rangers have proved that they have enough scoring, defense, and elite goaltending to win hockey games. The best time to evaluate a team will be in the time period after the all-star break, and before the trade deadline. At that point the playoff picture will be more clear. Every team’s weaknesses and strengths will be exposed.

The Rangers will always have Henrik Lundqvist to rely on but the way the team is currently playing, the pressure and burden is equally distributed. The Rangers are winning now because Gaborik is scoring, Richards is fitting in, and everyone is chipping in little by little.

Players like Callahan, Girardi, Gaborik, Richards, McDonagh, et cetera, are stepping up and answering the call. Even young call ups like Hagelin and Mitchell have joined in the fun. In the three games they have been up with the big club.

There is an expression that goes: the grass is always greener on the other side of the meadow. Winter may bring snow that will cover the streets of Manhattan, but hopefully fans don’t lose sight of what the Rangers already have. 

Legendary guitarist Eric Clapton summed up what the Rangers should do in the chorus of his song “Let It Grow”. Clapton sang:  

"Let it grow let it grow, Let it blossom let it flow, In the sun, the rain, the snow, Love is lovely let it grow."

Rangers’ brass loves the kids, and that is exactly what they are going to allow them to do

Tom Urtz, Jr. is an NHL featured columnist and New York Rangers featured columnist. For NHL news, updates and alerts about players: