By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
The Vancouver Canucks have been rumored to be willing to deal center Ryan Kesler for quite some time. Kesler has been linked to many of the top teams in the league.
Just hours before the 2014 NHL Draft, he was dealt, along with a third-round draft pick, to the Anaheim Ducks. In exchange for Kesler and the pick, the Canucks received Nick Bonino, Luca Sbisa, the 24th overall pick in the first round, and a third-round selection.
Kesler has struggled in Vancouver over the past three years. Much of this has to do with injuries that have hurt his play.
READ MORE: Click here for our latest NHL coverage
The 28-year-old had 25 goals and 18 assists in 77 games last season.
The entire Canucks offense struggled last year under former head coach John Tortorella. He will also bring a physical game to the Ducks, while also being a good player on the draw.
He is expected to be the Ducks second-line center.
Kesler was with the Canucks since the 2003-04 season as a rookie. He had 182 goals and 211 assists in 655 games.
Sbisa played in a combined 71 games the past two seasons with the Ducks. In those seasons, he had two goals and 12 assists.
During the 2011-12 season, he played in a career-high 80 games, where he had 5 goals and 19 assists.
READ MORE: Click here for our latest Sports coverage
The year before in 2010-11, he played in 68 games. He had two goals and 9 assists that season after just playing in 8 games during the 2009-10 season.
He came to the Ducks after playing for the Philadelphia Flyers in 2008-09, before a trade for Chris Pronger. Sbisa played in 39 games with the Flyers, where he had 7 assists.
Bonino has been with the Ducks since the 2009-10 season. He began his career with 9 games in Anaheim, where he registered a goal and an assist, before playing in 26 games in 2010-11.
During the 2011-12 season, he played in 50 games, where he had five goals and 13 assists. The following season, he played in 27 games, where he had five assists and 8 assists.
This past season, he had a career year with 22 goals and 27 assists in 77 games.
Subscribe to our newsletter!
Follow Us on Social Media:
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Telegram, Tumblr, YouTube, and TruthSocial
Keep Independent Journalism Alive! Ad-free experience and Exclusive Premium-plus content.
Join our Paid Substack for additional content for $10 per month. This is ad-free content. We believe that what you read matters and great writing is valuable. Through Substack, writers can flourish by being paid directly by their readers.
© 2007-2024 The Capital Sports Report. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcasted, rewritten, or redistributed.
