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The Vancouver Canucks unloaded an unhappy veteran centre, acquiring three assets in return as new GM Jim Benning starts off his tenure with a major trade. Numbers Game examines the Anaheim Ducks acquiring Ryan Kesler. The Ducks Get: C Ryan Kesler and a third-round pick in 2015. Kesler, 29, has been a very good two-way centre for most of the past seven seasons, scoring at least 20 goals in all six full seasons while missing 31 games during the lockout-shortened 2013 season. He scored 25 goals last season while playing a career-high 21:49 per game, and while Kesler didnt match the outstanding possession numbers he had from 2009 through 2012, he still had positive possession numbers despite facing high quality opposition and starting more of his shifts in the defensive zone, qualities that put him with a sound group of two-way forwards. Holding a no-trade clause, Kesler had control over the situation and that limited Vancouvers options. In Anaheim, Kesler slides into the second-line spot, behind Ryan Getzlaf, and Keslers presence may even free-up Getzlaf a little bit more -- as Getzlaf typically faces a high calibre of opposition with more defensive zone starts. If Kesler takes some of that responsibility, it may allow Getzlaf to get more favourable offensive matchups. While Kesler is a pretty effective shooter, 9.9% or above every year since 2006-2007, his on-ice shooting percentage (which includes the shooting of all others on the ice with him at 5on-5) was his lowest in that span last season, when he played primarily with Chris Higgins on left wing and then a rotating cast of right wingers. The positive of that is that, statistically, hes likely to have better luck next year, in terms of other players shooting percentage, so there may be room for a boost in Keslers production. The Ducks have a variety of young wingers that will be bucking for playing time and a couple of Patrick Maroon, Jakob Silfverberg, Kyle Palmieri, Matt Beleskey, Emerson Etem and Devante Smith-Pelly should have a shot to play on Keslers wings. Anticipating some boost in Keslers production operates on the assumption that he will be getting first-unit power play time because Bonino held that spot with the Ducks last season. For as much as Keslers reputation is built on being a two-way player who can check the oppositions best forwards, hes also been a productive triggerman on the Vancouver power play, ranking among the leaders in power play goals per minute of 5-on-4 play over the past five seasons. Kesler, in addition to being a valuable two-way forward, also comes at a reasonable cost for a veteran player. He has two years remaining on his contract, with a $5-million cap hit. If he plays well over the next couple seasons, there may be a decent chance to get him extended or re-signed, considering that Kesler virtually hand-picked his trade destination. The third-round pick offers about a 30% of chance of netting an NHLer, with maybe a six or seven percent chance of yielding a top-six forward, top-four defenceman or starting goaltender. The Canucks Get: C Nick Bonino, D Luca Sbisa, a first-round and third-round pick.. Bonino is a 26-year-old centre coming off a career year, in the first full season that hes played in the NHL. Boninos 22 goals and 49 points were solid showings, tied for 75th and 72nd, respectively and he scored 20 points on the power play. Bonino has not typically faced tough opposition and has always started more shifts in the offensive zone, yet his possession numbers havent been very good. He was just below break-even last season for the Ducks, but was productive, in part, because he had a high on-ice shooting percentage, which makes Bonino something of a mirror image of Kesler, more likely to see his production fall. Hes not as good, but there was no chance the Ducks were getting a better centre in exchange for a player with a no-trade clause that wanted to be moved out of town. That said, Bonino is an okay option as a second or third-line centre for the Canucks. An inexpensive option for a rebuilding team, signed for three more years at a total cost of $5.7-million, a very reasonable $1.9-million cap hit. Sbisa, 24, was well on his way to a signficant role before he was bypassed on the Ducks depth chart this season. In the previous two years, he had played all but nine games and was up to a career-high 19:50 average time on ice per game last season. The first-round pick of the Flyers in 2008 appeared to be making progress, but then he sprained his ankle in training camp, and later tore tendon in his hand. Those two injuries cost him 41 games and the Ducks had new defencemen -- Ben Lovejoy, Hampus Lindholm, Sami Vatanen -- pull ahead of Sbisa on the depth chart. So, while Sbisa hasnt really established that he can handle a big role, its not unreasonable for the Canucks to put him on their third pairing next year to see if he can get back on track. Sbisa is under contract for one more season, at a cap hit of $2.175-million, after which he will be a restricted free agent. The 24th pick in the draft has typically yielded an NHL player 70% of the time, with a top-six forward, top-four defenceman or starting goaltender 25% of the time. The third-round pick was subsequently moved to the New York Rangers, to acquire veteran winger Derek Dorsett. Dorsett is a 27-year-old who is a willing scrapper, but has also played some tough minutes in a checking role over the past three seasons, with a lot of defensive zone starts. Dorsett is in the final year of a deal that brings a cap hit of $1.633-million. He will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Will the Canucks be just as good without Ryan Kesler? Not likely. Does this move put them in a decent position going forward, in terms of having assets that they can use to re-shape the team? For sure. Big changes have begun in Vancouver and the first steps may be back before they are in position to move ahead. For the Ducks, theyve raised exectations with the addition of Kesler. They lost in seven games to the eventual Stanley Cup champs and, justifiably, made a move to improve their odds next season by getting a player that they tried to acquire before the trade deadline last season. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Joe Carter Jersey . LOUIS -- Known for his game-managing and defensive skills, Yadier Molina made another statement with his bat. Carlos Carrasco Jersey . -- Craig Anderson has quite a record against his former team, the Florida Panthers. http://www.indiansteamproshop.com/Indian...on-Kids-Jersey/. The 31-year-old Russian dominated the No. 3-ranked Ferrer throughout, breaking the defending champion and local favourite four times on the indoor hard court. Danny Salazar Jersey .com) - James Harden needed just seven made field goals to drop 35 points on the Philadelphia 76ers, leading the Houston Rockets to a 104-93 win on Monday. Matt Belisle Jersey . Both the top-seeded Djokovic and sixth-seeded Fish took relatively easy paths, with the Serb winning when opponent Jo-Wilfried Tsonga retired in the second set with a sore arm and Fish dominating Janko Tipsarevic in two quick sets. TORONTO -- Bob Nicholson is looking to a familiar face to restore Canadas world junior hockey supremacy. The president of Hockey Canada announced Wednesday the return of Brent Sutter as the head coach of the Canadian national junior team. The Red Deer Rebels coach, GM and owner will be joined by assistants Benoit Groulx and Ryan McGill at the 2014 world championship in Malmo, Sweden. Canada has dominated the world junior event winning 28 medals overall, including 15 gold. But Canada last won it all in 2009 in Ottawa -- the final of five straight gold medals -- and last year in Russia finished fourth and out of the medals for the first time since 98. "Weve done a lot of work analyzing what the other countries are doing," Nicholson said during a news conference at the MasterCard Centre. "Its a step-by-step process and Brent Sutter is going to come back and coach this junior team and it will be about first day of camp, second day of camp, third day of camp . . . "It wont be about getting to world junior championship, it will be about a process to make sure everyone buys into that. If we do that in the proper way with all the new people there to help that it will put us in a good position." Sutter, 51, from Viking, Alta., has coached Canada in international competition on four previous occasions, most recently at last years world hockey championship. He guided Canada to world junior gold in 2005 and 2006 and said Canadians must understand other world junior countries have improved. "Its not like Canadian hockey has totally dropped off the map," Sutter said. "Canadian hockey is still very elite but its just other countries have closed the gap on us. "Every game you play now is a highly competitive game at this level. Theres no certain thing that you can sit there and say, We have to drastically change this or that. Thats not the case at all. Its how do you get above the line, how do you stay above the line, how do you stay at where you want to get to and get to your ultimate goal and how to you accomplish that?" Sutter also knows what it takes to succeed on the international stage as a player. The former Calgary Flames and New Jersey Devils head coach played for Canada on four occasions, including the 1986 world championship and 1984, 1987 and 1991 Canada Cups. "Its exciting, its a new challenge and one Im looking forward to," Sutter said. "We all know what our ultimate goal is but its a process to be able to get to that point and that process will start in August. "Well get after it then." Canadas national junior team will gather in Brossard, Que., for practices on Aug. 4 and 5, before playing exhibition games in Lake Placid, N.Y., against Finland (Aug. 7), Sweden (Aug. 8) and the U.S. (Aug. 10). The 2014 world junior tournament begins Dec. 26. Groulx is the head coach and general manager of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey Leagues Gatineau Olympiques and McGill is the head coach of the Western Hockey Leagues Kootenay Ice. Also on Wednesday, Dale Hunter was named head coach of Canadas national summer under-18 squad. Thee 52-year-old from Petrolia, Ont.dddddddddddd, will be joined by assistants Dominique Ducharme and D.J. Smith at the 2013 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament in Breclav, Czech Republic and Piestany, Slovakia. Hunter is the head coach, owner and president of the Ontario Hockey Leagues London Knights. Ducharme is head coach of the QMJHLs Halifax Mooseheads and Smith is head coach of the OHLs Oshawa Generals. The U18 team will gather in Toronto for a selection camp late next month before travelling to Europe for the Aug. 5-10 tournament. Canada has won the annual summer event five straight years and 15 of the last 17 years. "You see how much work goes into winning and thats why Canada wins," said Hunter, who also coached the NHLs Washington Capitals before returning to London. "If it was easy, it wouldnt be as much fun. "In the playoffs you have seven games. You might lose the first two and you can redeem yourself. In a tournament like this youve got to be ready right off the hop and have them firing on all cylinders." Hockey Canada also announced several changes to its Program of Excellence. A new management group will oversee hockey operations for the program. Group members include Blainville-Boisbriand Armada GM Joel Bouchard, Phoenix Coyotes goaltender coach Sean Burke, Kelowna Rockets GM Bruce Hamilton and London Knights GM Mark Hunter. The group will work directly with Brad Pascall and Scott Salmond to oversee operations of the under-17, under-18 and under-20 programs. Pascall is Hockey Canadas vice-president of hockey operations and national teams while Salmond is the senior director of hockey operations and national teams. In addition, Ryan Jankowski has replaced Kevin Prendergast as the head scout of the mens Program of Excellence. Jankowski, 38, has spent the last three seasons as an amateur scout with the Montreal Canadiens after working five seasons as the assistant GM with the New York Islanders. The Calgary native previously worked for Hockey Canada from 1996 to 2003 in a variety of roles. He will be responsible for all player evaluation and recruitment for Canadas national junior team and national mens U18 team development and selection camps, as well as evaluations with the U17 program. The Program of Excellence policy committee remains in place to oversee direction of the program. The committee includes Nicholson, chief operating officer Scott Smith, OHL commissioner and CHL president David Branch, QMJHL commissioner Gilles Courteau, WHL commissioner Ron Robison and Hockey Canada officers Joe Drago and Michael Brindamour. "We reached out to our best resources and thats people," Nicholson said. "I guess the buzzword today is retooling and were really doing that. "With the management group we have a component there where we have general managers from the CHL now involved and having Sean Burke, a player who had worn the (Canadian) jersey so many times and knows the international game, its really a group that can work with Ryan to make sure we get the right players and build the right atmosphere as we go forward." ' ' '