Flyers To Focus On Acquiring Ducks Forward Bobby Ryan?

The Philadelphia Flyers have taken many swings that have all resulted in misses in landing some of the marquee free agents this offseason, with Shea Weber being just the latest. The Flyers were a bit taken back when the Nashville Predators matched the 14 year/$110 million offer sheet that the Flyers gave to Weber last week.

And with the aftermath of missing out on yet another big name to add to their team, the Flyers have said that they will no longer be going after any of the top remaining free agents, according to general manager Paul Holmgren. It is unknown as to whether Holmgren just means on the blue line, which would eliminate players such as P.K. Subban, or if he means top free agents at any position, which would mean not going after Shane Doan or Alexander Semin or any of the top goal scorers available.

But that does not mean that Holmgren will not pursue a trade for one of the top players still said to be on the market. Rick Nash may have already been traded to the New York Rangers, but the Flyers will now shift their focus to acquiring a player who has already publicly stated that his ideal wish would be to play for Philadelphia.

That could only mean Bobby Ryan of the Anaheim Ducks.

The Ducks forward has continued to express his unhappiness in Anaheim, and he has also said that he would love to play for the Flyers, as he is from a town in New Jersey not too far from Philadelphia. Ryan has more or less told the Ducks that he would accept a trade to almost any team at this point, but the Fllyers remain his ideal landing spot.

With that being said, does that mean that Holmgren should do everything possible to trade for Ryan, who has scored 30 or more goals in each of the past four seasons, and is still just 25 years of age?

The answer should be a resounding yes.

Ryan tallied 57 points for the Ducks last season, and the asking price to acquire him is still reportedly high. But then again, the Columbus Blue Jackets had an extremely high asking price for Nash in the beginning, but the Rangers waited them out and did not have to give up any of the three top players that the Blue Jackets had asked for originally.

So, could the Ducks just wait them out, hoping that the price will go down?

The answer may also be yes, but with the Flyers having already missed out on Weber and Nash, along with Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, they may need to ramp up their efforts to acquire Ryan prior to next season.

That is, provided we have a next season.

Tags: Anaheim Ducks, Bobby Ryan, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Rick Nash, Ryan Suter, Shea Weber, Zach Parise