We’re about a week into August, the final month of the NHL offseason without any on-ice activity. Outside of a second straight surprise selection with their draft choice, the Anaheim Ducks have not made much noise. In fact, it’s been rather silent. It’s concerning, but we should probably give general manager Pat Verbeek the benefit of the doubt that in the midst of the relative silence, he is working to ensure the future of his franchise is set up for success.
Related: Ducks’ Offseason Acquisitions Revisited: Chris Pronger
The Ducks are no strangers to big splashes in the offseason. In their rise to and maintenance of their status as Stanley Cup contenders from 2005-2017, they were making significant moves almost every offseason – free agency signings and trades alike. This summer, we’ll relive those years by looking back at many of those transactions and the impact they made on the Ducks’ run as a Western Conference powerhouse. Last week, it was the acquisition of Chris Pronger. Today, we’ll look at the 2013 trade of Bobby Ryan that brought in Jakob Silfverberg, among others.
Getzlaf-Perry-Ryan Was Fun to Watch, but Change Was Needed
Bobby Ryan’s best years in the NHL were with the Ducks. Famously selected second-overall in 2005 behind Sidney Crosby (the first of two times the Ducks missed out on a generational talent by one pick), he found success at the highest level almost immediately. After a short 23-game rookie season resulted in five goals (nearly a 20-goal pace) and five assists, he and his career caught fire to the tune of four straight 30-goal seasons. His first was in 2008-09 when he scored 31 times in just 65 games. That’s a clip really only reserved for a select few elite scorers, and Ryan quickly established himself as one.
Team success didn’t follow, however, as Ryan’s quick rise to stardom coincided with personnel transitions and salary cap issues within the Ducks organization that made it hard to stay competitive. The aforementioned Pronger was traded in 2009 after three seasons with the team. Scott Niedermayer retired in 2010, and there wasn’t much depth behind Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, and Ryan. These factors resulted in Ryan’s name floating around in trade rumors for some time until it finally happened in the 2013 offseason.
The Return for Ryan Was Plentiful
The trade package for star players was the same then as it is today: a solid NHL player, a top-flight prospect or first-round talent, and a collection of draft picks. And that’s exactly what the Ducks received on June 5, 2013, when they traded Ryan to the Ottawa Senators. Silfverberg was coming off his rookie season in the NHL and was a projected top-six forward. It was the only piece of the transaction that bore any fruit, as he delivered countless memories in a variety of roles for the Ducks over a decade in uniform. The Ducks also received Stefan Noesen, a former first-round pick, and a first-round selection in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft that ultimately became Nick Ritchie. It was a great haul for then-general manager Bob Murray, whose intention in trading a star like Ryan was “to get a deal that helps you now and in the future” (from ‘Rob Scuderi exits Kings; Ducks trade Bobby Ryan’, Los Angeles Times, July 6, 2013).
Trading Bobby Ryan Ultimately Was the Right Move
Ultimately, the trade analysis comes down to a comparison of both Ryan and Silfverberg’s careers following the swap, and the impact each player had on their teams. Why? Because Noesen played 14 games for the Ducks across three seasons with the club, and Ritchie failed to live up to his draft position, despite being given every opportunity to succeed. So, for the purposes of this evaluation, we’ll leave them alone.
Ryan had a couple of good seasons with the Senators, but he never eclipsed the 30-goal mark and only reached 56 points once in seven seasons. Those are things he did in each full season in a Ducks uniform. He played a central part in the Senators’ run to the Eastern Conference Final in 2017, when he produced six goals and nine assists in 17 playoff games. One of the highlights of his Senators career was the hat trick he scored in his return game following his time in the NHL’s Player Assistance Program during the 2019-20 season. He was awarded the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy that season, annually awarded to the player who best demonstrates perseverance and dedication to hockey.
Silfverberg, on the other hand, had a stellar 11-season run with the Ducks, including six straight seasons of 39-plus points. He scored 20 or more goals in four of those six seasons. His versatility proved to be one of his greatest strengths. Those stats proved his offensive capabilities, not to mention the lethal wrist shot he used to beat goalies clean in all situations. He was perhaps best known for his role on the dynamic checking line that included Andrew Cogliano and Ryan Kesler. It was the second coming of the Ducks’ 2007 checking line – Samuel Pahlsson, Rob Niedermayer, and Travis Moen – in the ways that they shut down elite offensive opposition while also impacting the game offensively. Silfverberg played key roles in both of the Ducks’ Western Conference Final appearances, scoring 18 points and 14 points in the 2015 and 2017 Playoffs, respectively. He too was nominated for the Masterton (but didn’t win) after triumphantly returning to NHL action in 2022-23 after a number of significant injuries in seasons prior.
Both players were fan favorites. Ryan was the better scorer, sure, but his game was less versatile. Like Murray had done many times before, he seized his opportunity to make a splash and brought in Silfverberg who ultimately became one of the most important players for the franchise in their mid-2010s run as a Stanley Cup contender. Trading a player of Ryan’s caliber hurts, but the Ducks fared pretty well in the end.
Ryan for Silfverberg Was a Hockey Swap That Benefitted Both Clubs
It’s not an overstatement to say that Ryan had just about as good a start to his career as one could have. Scoring no less than 31 goals in each of your first four full seasons was simply sensational. With the scoring prowess not leading to more playoff success, perhaps Murray felt it wasn’t going to get any better. Whatever the reasoning was, he engineered a trade that brought in everything he wanted, and it played a major role in lifting the Ducks to an era of Pacific Division dominance and deep playoff runs. While Ryan was never able to recreate the magic after the trade, his smooth hands and slick goal-scoring ability will always be remembered in Orange County and Ottawa.
Would you have liked to see Bobby Ryan stay in Anaheim? Let us know in the comments below!
