Bobby Ryan Trade Rumors: New York Rangers Interested, Could Be 'Frontrunners'

It's not very often that a quarter of the way through a season, a team is seriously considering dealing its young, reasonably-priced, star-caliber player. But with the Anaheim Ducks disappointing, they've elected to make the (questionable) decision to entertain offers for winger Bobby Ryan ... and the New York Rangers are interested.

Tuesday, NY Post's Larry Brooks reported that general manager Glen Sather had spoken to Ducks GM Bob Murray regarding Ryan, but it was unclear how far those talks went.

Then, CSN Philly's John Boruk revealed Wednesday that that Philadelphia Flyers were not in the running for the 24-year-old winger, but that a deal appeared to be "imminent"; so much so that it could be completed within the week. His source indicated that the Blueshirts were the "frontrunners," but the Tampa Bay Lightning were discussing, and that the Toronto Maple Leafs could be interested as well.

Why Anaheim would move a three-time, 30-goal scorer who is only in his fourth full season is a bit confounding, but that's the desperation that comes from a 6-13-4 record. Granted, Ryan, a Cherry Hill, N.J. native, is also lagging behind his career pace as well, with just seven goals and 11 points on the season. But talent is talent, and young players with his ability are very hard to find. He's also making a pretty reasonable $5.1 million for the next four seasons.

Even the Ducks' young star, a right-handed shot, who was demoted to the third line for Wednesday's game realizes a trade may very much become reality, telling the Orange County Register: "I wouldn't be surprised," Ryan said. "That's all I'll say about that."

Later on in the night, Boruk tweeted: "Don't assume the NYR or any team would have to unload the farm for Bobby Ryan. The team willing to part with 1st round picks could get him"

There has been no indication as to what the Rangers would consider moving for Ryan, but on the surface, it seems as if the ingredients to get a deal done are there: coach John Tortorella is familiar with Ryan because he coached him in the 2010 Olympics, Sather is an aggressive GM always looking to make a splash and the organization has a stable of NHL-ready, young players that could fill the depth void on Anaheim.

In his story, Brooks said that the players the Rangers consider "untouchable" are captain Ryan Callahan, Derek Stepan, Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, Ryan McDonagh and Michael Sauer. Speculation across Twitter and the blogosphere (and I'd agree) has the likes of Brandon Dubinsky, Mats Zuccarello a young defenseman like Tim Erixon, Dylan McIlrath or even Michael Del Zotto and a first-round pick as the potential haul for Anaheim. Dubinsky, a core part of the Rangers' identity, would be hard to part with, but he's not nearly the player Ryan is; he's reached 54 points once in his career, while Ryan has seasons of 57, 61 and 71 points under his belt.

What would you consider giving up for the young power forward?