Ryan Kesler was finally dealt by the rebuilding Canucks landing in Anaheim.
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After much speculation, Ryan Kesler finally has a new home. The Canucks dealt the unhappy center to the Ducks in exchange for Nick Bonino, Luca Sbisa, Anaheim’s first round pick (No.24) and third round pick (No.85). In a later deal made with the Rangers, Vancouver netted Derek Dorsett for the third round pick. So, they now have three NHLers for Kesler and will draft twice in the first round including number six overall. They might try to parlay the two picks and move up to one where the Panthers are dangling their pick. We’ll know soon enough.

On paper, it’s a decent return. After coming over from the Sharks, Bonino developed into a second line forward for the Ducks. Behind Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, he was their third scorer registering 22 goals and 27 assists for 49 points with seven power play goals. In the postseason, he had four goals and four assists including a series clincher against the Stars. At 26, Bonino is a good secondary scorer who’ll slide in on Vancouver’s second line behind The Sedins. He’s also a bargain earning an average of $1.9 million over the next three seasons. Obviously, they need him to justify the trade because otherwise it looks like a steal for Anaheim.

The Ducks did well only giving up Bonino and a replaceable depth defenseman in Sbisa off their roster for Kesler, who’s considered a top line talent. Already 29 with two years left at $5 million per season, he wants to win now. Since scoring a career high 41 goals and 73 points in ’10-11, his production has dropped off. Injuries have contributed. In ’11-12, he went 22-27-49 in 77 games. In 2013, a broken foot limited him to 13 points (4-9-13) in 17 games. He notched two goals in a four-game humiliation to San Jose. Even though he was healthy for the most part, Kesler finished with 25 goals and 18 helpers and a minus-15 rating in 77 contests under former Canucks bench boss John Tortorella.

“I hate losing and that season was painful, to be honest,” he said on a conference call. “The fact that they’re in a rebuild and are looking to get younger and are years away from being a contender, I think it was just time for me to move on and win and hopefully take home a championship.”

At this point, it made sense for Kesler to move on to a contending team that wanted him. Anaheim was also in on him at the deadline bidding against Pittsburgh. Now, he goes to the Ducks where he’ll team with Getzlaf and Perry in hopes of winning a Stanley Cup. They’re in direct competition with the Kings. It’ll be interesting.

Canucks send Garrison to Lightning: In another cost cutting move geared towards a rebuild, Vancouver shipped defenseman Jason Garrison to the Lightning for a second round pick (No.50 overall). The full deal also includes the rights to Jeff Costello going to Tampa with the Canucks also adding a 2015 seventh round pick. Garrison has four years left on a six-year deal that pays him an average cap hit of $4.6 million. He’ll certainly add offense to the Bolts from the back end and become a power play fixture.