Which direction will Canucks, Kesler choose?

Fewer and fewer teams remain in the hunt for the Stanley Cup this spring, which means a increasing amount of focus across the league is being turned toward the draft and free agency. A number of franchises are seemingly ready to make some big changes before next season, which is whetting the appetite of hockey fans in virtually every market.

With the Pittsburgh Penguins having been knocked out of contention by the New York Rangers Tuesday night, the Ryan Kesler speculation - which ran incredibly hot leading into the trade deadline in March - has already regained a lot of steam.

Jason Botchford of The Vancouver Province wonders Wednesday if the Pittsburgh situation is even one into which Kesler would still want to enter.

There is a good reminder in the article about Kesler's no-trade clause and the teams to which he's already said he'd accept a trade:

Pittsburgh Penguins

Anaheim Ducks

Chicago Blackhawks

Colorado Avalanche

Detroit Red Wings

Tampa Bay Lightning

This would also be as good a time as any to revisit what Kesler himself has actually said on the subject of a potential trade out of Vancouver.

April 4, he spoke with Team 1040.

Has this season changed the way you look at your future at all with the team or the game?

"Obviously you want a bigger role every year. You want to be a bigger part of the team. You want to help the team be successful. Obviously it's a down year. I'm a guy that wants to win. I want to be back in playoffs. I want to win the Cup. To be honest, that's the only reason I play this game, is to win. We have some steps to do next year to get better as a hockey club and hopefully we make those steps. "

How do you go about discussing your future in the off-season?

"You know, to be honest I haven't really even thought about it. My family loves it here. I know I already paid for private school next year, so (laughs) we're planning on coming back and if I hear differently from management or ownership then obviously we'll have to rethink things.

"I'm a Canuck and I'm happy to be a Canuck and whatever plays out plays out. I've been a Canuck from Day One and I expect hopefully I can retire as a Canuck but your dreams don't always pan out. I think we know that from Game Seven a couple of years ago."

Has there even been a conversation about you being anything other than a Vancouver Canuck?

"Yeah, there has been but I definitely don't want to leave this city."

On April 14, at the end-of-season presser, Kesler had this to say:

On what the season has been like for him:

"It's tough. Obviously when your name gets thrown around, trade-wise - it's never happened to me before in my career, so I think I leaned on these guys during that time and, you know, they helped me through it. But, you know, this has been my home since my adulthood and this is really the only city I know besides Michigan. I love it here and hopefully I can stay."

Asked to comment on the accuracy of trade reports:

"Where'd you get that from, Twitter? French guy?"

Reporter: No, higher up than that.

"I didn't ask for a trade. I think what goes on for the organization, I think it's best to keep that in-house. I'm not going to comment whether or not I gave them teams or not. It's not right."

At the end of April, Canucks president of hockey operations was interviewed by Sportsnet.ca and offered this on Kesler:

“I have a lot of respect for Ryan, as I do all the players. It was a good, healthy conversation,” Linden said of his exit interview with him. “There’s many decisions that will unfold here in the next several months, and for me it’s important that I strategically assess every decision. They all have significant ripple effects throughout the organization. That’s an important decision, and it will play out as we move along here.”