NHL Trade Rumors: How to Improve the Anaheim Ducks Without Trading Bobby Ryan

The 2011-12 season is, so far, not one to remember for the Anaheim Ducks. 

Since their storied 2007 Stanley Cup run, Anaheim has followed a familiar pattern of, at best, an average performance during the first half of the season followed by an elite level of play during the second half, which barely squeezes them into a playoff spot.

This season has been no different for the Ducks, however, their first half slide has been bad enough that it has led to a series of personnel changes: the firing of head coach Randy Carlyle, the hiring of ex-Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau and churning in the rumor mill about a possible trade involving Bobby Ryan.

It's understandable that, from a management perspective, this team has gotten to be extremely difficult to deal with. 

With such poor starts and strong finishes, it's hard to tell sometimes if Anaheim is rebuilding (because of the loss of  all but a few of the vital pieces that played a role in winning the team’s first and only Stanley Cup), or if they are still competing enough to be candidates for a deep playoff run.

Either way, with a new coach and no visible improvement, roster changes could be on the horizon. 

Since the Ryan trade talks are quieting down significantly, here are five other roster moves that I believe could significantly improve Anaheim's chances of competing this year and in the near future.

Sign Brad Boyes in the Offseason

With the likely departure of Teemu Selanne and Jason Blake, Anaheim is going to need to think seriously about where their secondary scoring is going to come from.

High profile scorers like Alexander Semin and Zach Parise are most likely out of the Ducks’ price range and are not necessary for a team boasting such a powerful top line.

However, Brad Boyes has proven to be capable of 30 to 40 point seasons with the St. Louis Blues, showing flashes of brilliance on the power play as well, which would be a sure benefit for a Selanne-less roster.

Sign Shane Doan

With Saku Koivu at the end of his contract, his future with Anaheim is uncertain, especially when coupled with the likelihood of Selanne's retirement. 

Speculation is that Koivu could depart to play his final seasons in Minnesota with his brother Mikko, especially if the Wild continue to stay competitive at the top of the Western Conference standings.

Enter: Shane Doan.  In many respects he could be the second coming of Koivu, albeit a bigger, tougher version of him. 

Doan is a proven leader who would provide an excellent source of secondary offense in Southern California.

Deal for Jay Bouwmeester

The defense in Anaheim is giving up 31.8 shots per game, which is good for 26th in the league. 

One way or another, Ducks general manager Bob Murray needs to shake things up here, and it could very easily come in the form of moving any defensemen not named Cam Fowler.

A package involving Toni Lydman, Andrew Cogliano and draft picks to bring in Jay Bouwmeester could be necessary if Anaheim wants to improve play in their own end.

Re-Sign Francois Beauchemin

Francois Beauchemin will be an unrestricted free-agent at the end of the year, and while Anaheim's defense has struggled, I would argue that he, along with Fowler, have been one of the few bright spots so far this year.

Beauchemin has proven himself to be a punishing hitter and leads the team in ice time, averaging 26:24 per game. 

His value to Anaheim is far greater than most realize, and not having him to eat up minutes would put a greater amount of stress on the development of Fowler, who currently sits at second place on Anaheim's roster, averaging 25:26 per game.

Take Lubomir Visnovsky off Injured Reserve

Obviously this is only a "roster move" by a technicality, and will, of course, be done as soon as Visnovsky is cleared to play, but I believe this injury has hurt the Ducks more than anticipated. 

Only one year removed from being the league's highest scoring defenseman, Visnovsky has put up Scott Niedermayer-like numbers; however, a slow start this year has caused his absence to go somewhat unnoticed.

His return would significantly improve this team on the power play and, if nothing else, would help to ease the ice time currently being shouldered by Fowler and Beauchemin.

Thoughts?

Certainly a change is needed in Anaheim.  However, trading away one of the brightest young stars in the league is not the only (or best) way to shake things up on their roster. 

The Ducks' management took a necessary step in letting coach Carlyle go, which allowed them to see how the players respond to a new head coach.  But if this fails to change things, GM Murray needs to look at other alternatives to build around Ryan and the Ducks' young core.

With the talent Anaheim has up front, doing so would almost certainly make this team a playoff contender sooner than later.