Silver Nuggets: With Boudreau hiring, is Ryan still available?

Old news at this point, but there have been plenty of rumours since the weekend that Anaheim Ducks winger Bobby Ryan was being shopped on the trade market, and--as would be expected--that possibility generated ample interest from around the league.

With the firing of Randy Carlyle and the hiring of Bruce Boudreau in Anaheim, it seems likely that the trade watch around Ryan (a very young, dynamic player with a hell of a lot of potential in this league) has "ground to a halt," in the words of TSN's Bob McKenzie--at least for now. On the other hand, Ryan recently said he "wouldn't be surprised" if he were dealt by the Ducks. Still, it seems likely that any offers have been put on the shelf until Anaheim GM Bob Murray sees how the team responds to a new coach and a markedly new direction. So if a trade were to happen, I'd be surprised if it happened before, say, February.

If one happens, plenty of teams--in fact, likely every team--will express an interest. To no one's surprise, Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke has his team in the running (he's long coveted Ryan's playmaking skills, even though the team needs a centre more than another winger), but the New York Rangers have also reportedly made a strong push. The Senators, desperate for young and talented top-six forwards, would also certainly make an offer.

Ottawa doesn't have much to offer, though. The asking price for Ryan would, naturally, be very high; speculation has been that they're looking for very good defensive help in the short term, as well as ample prospects and/or picks within a package to lure Ryan away. Ottawa has a few pieces that are likely available: Filip Kuba, Brian Lee, Nick Foligno, and Sergei Gonchar being some of them. But even those four would probably not be enough value to bring Ryan to Ottawa; a first-round pick and a good prospect (maybe Patrick Wiercioch, Stéphane Da Costa, or one of the first-round picks from this past draft) would likely have to enter the conversation before anything got very serious.

It won't be cheap to acquire Ryan, even if he is made available. But for a 24-year-old winger on a very reasonable contract with a 71-point season already under his belt, the price might be worth it.

Senators headlines

• Tonight's game preview. Andrew Raycroft will be starting, since Kari Lehtonen is out with a groin injury. (ESPN, Senators Extra)
• Tonight's prediction panel features a pretty even split, with four calling a Sens win and three predicting one for the Stars. (Senators Extra)
• Turns out Nikita Filatov didn't break his nose last game, but stayed out of the lineup because he had headaches and dizziness. He's probably in tonight, Filip Kuba is probably not. (Citizen)
• Zack Smith: Scoring machine. (Sun, via London Free Press)
• Chris Neil should be back any day now (although he won't be back tonight). Also, he named his third child "Finley," because he liked the name (or maybe likes the Italian pop/punk band of the same name). (Sun)
• The B-Sens are such a young and inexperienced team, with so many veterans called up or injured, that coach Kurt Kleinendorst hasn't even given out a extra 'A' to anyone; he wouldn't know who to give it to. (WBNG Sports)
• Alex Auld gave 80 winter jackets to the Snowsuit Fund, but hopefully retained at least one toque to keep that impeccably bald head warm through the winter. (EMC)

NHL headlines

• The Boston Bruins signed David Krejci to a three-year deal that's reportedly worth $15.75M total. Scratch him off your team's holiday shopping list. (Stanley Cup of Chowder)
• The Bruins also (finally) knocked the Maple Leafs out of top spot in the Northeast Division with a win last night. Boston didn't lose a single game in regulation in November. (Stanley Cup of Chowder)
• Victor Hedman signed a contract extension, as well: Five years, $20M. This is likely not relevant in the impending Erik Karlsson negotiations, but may become a comparable deal for David Rundblad (an RFA in the summer of 2013) or Jared Cowen (an RFA in the summer of 2014). (Tampa Bay Online)
• Why the Calgary Flames won't be trading Jarome Iginla. (Matchsticks and Gasoline)

Finally, a new feature for SensTV: Alex the Jr. Reporter, a complete rip-off of the Chicago Blackhawks' Joey the Jr. Reporter... seriously, so blatant; the intro is a shot-for-shot duplication. Alex looks about six years older than Joey, though, so it's just not the same. Still, a couple of gems, notably Zenon Konopka's assertion that "there's no swearing in hockey."

In contrast, here's a classic Joey the Jr. Reporter video (the Christmas edition! Featuring Marian Hossa, whose strong suit is obviously not comedy):