Vancouver Canucks trying to connive Ryan Kesler to stay with team

The Vancouver Canucks are looking at an offseason that could involve even more change then they’ve already undergone as new general manager Jim Benning’s job is to turn the team around in the quickest way possible. When trying to improve your team, one thing you don’t want to do is give up one of your best players, even if they want to get out of town.

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For the Canucks, Ryan Kesler is in this situation as he wants out in Vancouver so that he can play for a team that will be contending over the next few seasons. As Elliotte Friedman points out, what Benning must do is convince Kesler that the place he wants to be is Vancouver and that’s a task easier said than done.

"Newly hired Canucks GM Jim Benning said he would like to meet with Ryan Kesler, who requested a trade. There’s a lot of info flying around about the centre. Here’s what agent Kurt Overhardt would confirm: that he and Kesler have met once with Canucks president Trevor Linden, who met solely with Kesler on a second occasion. Both sides agreed to have another discussion once the new GM and head coach were hired."

Kesler wants to play for someone like the Anaheim Ducks or Chicago Blackhawks and teams that are contenders or on the cusp of being there no doubt have eyes on Kesler and wouldn’t turn him away. The Canucks failed to trade him at the deadline but that trade could come this summer before or during the NHL Draft.

Either way, the Canucks need to figure something out with Kesler and it’s clear that they’re at leas going to try and get him to stay.