Selke-winning Vancouver Canucks centerman Ryan Kesler was the biggest-ticket item at the 2014 NHL trade deadline, though he ultimately didn't move. It's widely believed, in fact, that the Canucks' decision not to trade the star shutdown center froze the market almost entirely.
Vancouver renovated its front office structure since then: general manager Mike Gillis was fired, Trevor Linden was hired as president, and Linden officially unveiled Jim Benning as the club's 11th general manager on Friday. With new management comes a new direction, and the team now seems eager to retain the services of the 29-year-old U.S. Olympian.
"I love the way Ryan Kesler plays, he plays hard, he competes hard, he's a big bodied guy, he plays the way you win with," Benning told fans during a Q&A prior to his introductory press conference. "But I haven't met Ryan Kesler yet, I haven't had a chance to talk to him, so I don't know what his thoughts are. If it's up to me I'd like to try and keep him."
While Benning has yet to meet with Kesler, Linden has - twice in fact. Linden met with the disgruntled center and his agent once after being hired, and had a follow up tete-a-tete with just Kesler shortly thereafter, according to CBC's Elliotte Friedman.
Friedman spoke with Kesler's Denver-based agent Kurt Overhardt for his weekly "30 Thoughts" column, and while Overhardt isn't quoted directly in the piece, we can safely presume that much of what Friedman wrote is informed by Kesler's agent himself:
Here's what Overhardt would not address: What it would take to change Kesler's mind. Both Linden and Benning talk about the Canucks retooling on the fly, and, from what a couple sources say about Kesler, that's a critical part of the discussion. He's suffered some pretty painful losses in his career (2010 Olympics, 2011 Stanley Cup, 2014 Olympics) and badly wants to win. The agent also wouldn't talk about Kesler's list of teams (Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay). It is believed, however, that group may change.
Kesler reportedly wasn't interested in being moved to the New York Rangers or Philadelphia Flyers at the trade deadline. The two-way ace has two seasons and $10 million in salary remaining on his contract, which includes a full no-trade clause. Obviously if he wants to move on, and is willing to be more flexible about where he's dealt, that'll help the Canucks maximize a potential return.
